Amnesiacs Anonymous 1
by Andrew A. Anderson
Summary: Post R-2. Lelouch and C.C. wake up in a hospital realizing they have not only been killed, but have lost their memories. On a quest to find out their previous identities, will they figure out who they once were? If they remember, can they put their previous dark lives behind them and live a normal life? Or will the ghosts of their past come back to haunt them? Part 1 of my series.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes**

This story takes place post R-2 and picks up kinda in the middle of my story. It's a Star-Wars esque timeline where the beginning is actually episode 4 and the end is episode 3, if you know what I mean. Hopefully it's not too confusing. Thanks for taking the time to read my first fanfiction! Please tell me how my first go went. Flames are alright. Just remember: your flames will be used to power my steam engine, which will power my train, which I will use to run over you. Haha, I kid. Enjoy!

Oh, and I almost forgot: I wrote, published, and edited this entire story on my iPod. So please excuse any spelling errors. The keyboard is tiny.

...

Chapter 1

...

"We're losing him!"

"We're losing her too!"

"Defibrillator!"

"It's not charged!"

"What the hell? Charge it!"

"10 % charge!"

"You imbecile!"

"Sorry, sir! Estimated 20 more seconds!"

"They won't BE here in 20 more seconds! Where's the second one?"

"What second one?"

"THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE HERE, DAMMIT."

"Charging now! 10%!"

"You! You are relieved of duty!"

"What?! You cant-"

"You there! Take his place! Status?"

"Yes, sir. Rapid blood loss, sir. It's not slowing. Might I suggest-"

"Shut up, or I'll suggest your face up your ass! Their pulses are slowing. Defibrillators?"

"Defibrillators ready at maximum charge. Shall we proceed?"

*beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*

The monotone signals of cardiac arrest sounded through the air. An eerie silence only associated with the sound of death suddenly fell upon the doctors surrounding the two wheeled stretchers. At that moment, the two stretchers made it into the operation room. The door slammed behind them, offering the only break to the single tone that had seemed to be playing for an eternity. This galvanized everyone back into action.

"NOW, DAMMIT. CLEAR!"

Twin *zaps* resounded throughout the room. With its location in the middle of a war zone, the hospital and its employees had become all too familiar with the sound of dead-tones and defibrillator discharges.

The two figures lying side by side in the stretchers both gave a slight jump before returning to their former comatose positions.

"Pulses are a negative! Ready, two!"

"Clear!"

Two more *zaps*, these almost simultaneous, sounded.

"I think I've got something here!"

Everyone paused for the smallest fraction of a second. The break in the tension was short-lived however.

"...Negative, that is a no-pulse, I repeat, no-pulse! Increase charge! Ready, three!"

"Clear!"

The violent spasm of the two bodies shook the stretchers with a much greater force than before.

"It's not working..."

"Yes, I can see that. Ready, four!"

"Sir, the defibrillators are out of charge..."

Once again, the whole room seemed to go silent as the realization dawned upon all present. Even the unchanging tone emanating from the pulse display seemed to grow smaller, fainter, as if understanding its subjects had passed.

"...your orders...sir...?"

The doctors looked expectantly at the lead surgeon, as if waiting upon a miracle to bring the two bodies back to life.

"We did what we could...I'm sorry. We lost them."

More silence. The silence seemed to grow until it was unbearable, almost deafening.

"What were their names?"

No one responded. No one knew.

...

Patient ID: GR52491

Last name: Unknown

First name: Unknown

Middle name: Unknown

Gender: Male

Nationality: Unknown

Age: Unknown

SSN: Unknown

DOB: Unknown

Iris: Violet

Weight: 117 pounds

Main causes of death: Multiple gunshots delivered to the upper chest. Massive organ failure. Severe damage specifically surrounding the heart. Cardiac arrest. Major blood loss. Severe gunshot trauma to upper torso. Punctured left and right lungs. Suffocation in both lungs due to blood and fluid leakage.

Notes: Subject declared deceased within approximately 2 minutes 30 seconds upon arrival. Arrived in same medical transport as patient GR52492. Patient GR52492 also died of similar injuries at the same time and date. Two cases possibly related. End report.

Patient ID: GR52492

Last name: Unknown

First name: Unknown

Middle name: Unknown

Gender: Female

Nationality: Unknown

Age: Unknown

SSN: Unknown

DOB: Unknown

Iris: Gold

Weight: 105 pounds

Main causes of death: Multiple gunshots delivered to the torso. Massive organ failure. Severe damage specifically surrounding the heart. Cardiac arrest. Major blood loss. Severe gunshot trauma to upper torso. Punctured right lung. Suffocation in right lung due to blood and fluid leakage.

Notes: Subject declared deceased within approximately 2 minutes 30 seconds upon arrival. Arrived in same medical transport as patient GR52491. Patient GR52491 also died of similar injuries at the same time and date. Cases possibly related. End report.

The sound of a file being inserted into a manila folder barely penetrated the silence of the examination room. The heavy *CHA-CHUNK* of a timestamp being pressed onto the folder did little to help the tension spread thick in the air.

"Once you've finished your report, let's go take our break."

"Hold up..."

Now nothing but the noise of a pen scratching paper was heard.

"And...done! Whew, let's go. That was a messy one to do."

"Don't even think about mentioning it at lunch."

"Of course I won't."

The two doctors left the room, leaving behind the two bodies veiled by a light blue cloth.

He was once powerful man, being able to lead armies that would both destroy the world and create it anew. Death does not judge, however. It claims those which it sees fit to choose. It does not distinguish between the rich or the poor, the wise or the fools, the powerful or the powerless. Ultimately, all must succumb to the inevitable result of death.

Except her.

The other, laying on another operating table close by, was immortal. An extremely rare gift, achieved by methods unknown to most all mankind. Is it truly a gift? She would disagree. She considers eternal life a curse. A curse to walk this wretched earth for eternity. Unable to die, watching all others around her perish. As she has once said, "All those who have ever loved or hated her have vanished into the current of time."

The dark red, almost brown, contrasted greatly with the bright green canvas on which it was cast. It almost seemed to suit the darker black hair as a better match for a background.

Light suddenly flooded into the darkness of his mind. Instinctively, he closed his eyes tighter to block out the brightness, but to no avail. He felt as if he was staring directly into the sun. His eyes began to hurt greatly as a dull throbbing crescendoed in the back of his head. The light grew ever brighter, if it was even possible for it to become any more intense than it already was.

"Am...I...dead...?" he thought.

Cautiously, he opened his eyes, careful not to shock himself with the dazzling light which now seemed to radiate from the back of his eyes, directly onto his retinas. His eyes were now barely open and his senses slowly began to return, one by one. The first was sight. He could vaguely make out a rectangular border around the light from which he sought refuge. Next, his sense of hearing returned. The ringing in his ears from a far away chapel bell told him he was indeed alive.

Other senses quickly regained their functions as he attempted to look at and feel his surroundings. A sharp prick at his toe drew his gaze. He looked down the length of his body to see a red tag hanging off of his toe. Still lying down, he slowly flexed his excuses for muscles. Realizing he again had full control of his limbs, sight, and hearing, he reached down to feel the tag. It came off with relative ease. He held it up to his newly reborn eyes in an attempt to decifer the squiggles and marks on the tag. It read:

Patient 52491

Name: Unknown

"Name unknown? I guess they didn't find out who I really am. I'm..."

He thought about who he really was, not just some lifeless corpse destined for a body bag. Suprisingly, nothing came to mind about his identity.

"My name is...oh God. Who am I?"

...


	2. Chapter 2

...

Chapter 2

...

The woman laying across from him was the second to wake. She woke much quicker than her male counterpart who was making futile attempts to sit up.

"Where am I...?"

She sat up easily and looked around the sterile room. The first thing she noticed was the lightweight cloth spread over her body. The next was the red tag clinging to her toe. She too pulled it off and read it.

Patient ID: GR52492

Name: Unknown

"I guess I'm just another number in the records of the dead, eh?"

She looked over at the other body who was still, despite his efforts, attempting to get up.

"Need a little help there?"

She let a prideful smirk play across her expressions, as if she were proud of the fact that she very well may be more physically conditioned than the struggling former-corpse. The male let out a long groan signaling he not only heard, but was annoyed by the female's haughty tone.

"I'm fine, thank you." he managed to speak. His mouth was dry and his tongue swollen. It felt as if his tongue filled the entirety of his mouth, making it difficult to communicate. He tried to sit up once again, but at this attempt, his headache once again rose to the surface of his senses. He let out another groan as he gave up in his attempts to sit up, letting his head back down on the table.

A muffled *pat* followed by a series of softer ones told him that the female had not only managed to sit up, but was also getting off of her examination table and was walking. The repetitive sound of feet against cold tile continued until she reached a box on the shelf labeled "Victim's posessions". A shuffling of movement and the scratchy sound of cloth against cloth now told him that she was getting dressed. A sharp jangle of metal meant she had pocketed her keys. More *pats* followed as she walked barefoot over to the other examination table. The sound grew closer and closer until he realized he was staring up at another face, framed by flowing green hair.

"WHA-" he jumped slightly as the female who was now looking down at him cocked her head to the left quizzically.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the girl staring down at him, other than the fact that she was dead, was the fact that her clothes were riddled with bullet holes surrounded by a deep maroon that was now almost brown. Yet she seemed unharmed.

"What's your name?" she asked dreamily.

"I...I don't know..."

"Oh." she simply stated. "I was hoping you could tell me mine."

"You don't know either?"

She shook her head. Suddenly a weight fell onto his chest and he yelped.

"Ow!"

"These are your belongings, I think. I found them over on that shelf. Get dressed. We have to go."

The double-doors swung open with an almost-majestic *swoosh* revealing an ME and a guard, both wearing scrubs.

"...and just like that, game winning kill!"

"Jeez, he threw so hard that round."

"Can you believe he was the one raging when it was his fault? He played tank and he died in two hits!"

"People these da-"

"What... in the hell..."

The two froze in their tracks as they took in the sight of the girl who was standing now fully clothed, sporting a bloody t-shirt ridden with holes.

Next to her was an empty examination table.

"Oh." the ME fainted as he toppled over sideways, collapsing in a heap.

"Who the hell are you?!" the second barked. "Answer me!"

Still in shock, he fumbled for his radio as he swiftly marched forward, in hopes of apprehending this apparition.

"I don't..." the girl began. "What's my name...think...think!"

She slowly backed up but her progress was halted by a not-so-conveniently placed wall.

The man gave up fumbling for his radio, instead reaching out for the girl's arm with one hand and unholstering his sidearm with the other. He grabbed her wrist and twisted painfully upward.

He found himself no longer in the examination room but in the school he grew up in.

"What is this..." he thought. He saw a face he recognized far too easily.

"No..."

It was the class bully, from 26 years ago. He had been the terror of not only his schoolmates, but of his teachers as well.

"Stop it!" he screamed as his mind returned to the day where he was the one backed against the wall, scared out of his mind.

In a flash, he crumpled unconscious against the girl backed up to the wall.

"What did I just do...?"

The girl cautiously prodded the body collapsed against her own. She gave a small yelp as it fell off of her, onto the tile. She barely noticed the boy standing next to her, watching the scene unfold.

"How did you..."

"I don't know." the girl finished for him.

"We should get out of here."

"Agreed."

"We can't go out looking like this, though." gesturing to the bloody rags they both wore.

"We'll take their uniforms then."

"Mn." the girl sounded uninterested.

Did she even care that she just knocked out an armed guard? How did she do that, by the way? More importantly, who is she? What is she? Even more importantly, who am I?!

These thoughts bounced around within the boy's head as they pulled the doctors' scrubs over their heads, effectively covering any sign of former injury. Any possible solution that came to him only caused the rise of many more questions to that answer. After all this bouncing around, his ideas just seemed to further confuse him.

A sharp voice brought him back to reality.

"Come on, we can figure this out later. We need to go now! There will be others here any minute."

"Where do we go?"

"Anywhere but here."

The two left the morgue, very much alive.

...


	3. Chapter 3

...

Chapter 3

...

Subway system

The stench of the underground subway systems seemed to waft up the stairs where the two amnesiacs stood. The boy fished around in his pockets for his wallet he had reclaimed from the "Victim's possessions" box earlier. Pulling out a subway card granted them passage into the lower areas where the trains awaited. Upon entering the lower levels, many heads were turned at them. Was it the scrubs they wore? Or was it because the boy bore a striking almost uncanny resemblance to a certain dead emperor...

"Were we supposed to be dead?" the boy inquired.

"We certainly didn't have toe tags for no reason."

"I suppose...but our clothes. They were bloody weren't they?"

"Mn." The girl still sounded uninterested.

A pause.

"And there were holes. Bullet holes maybe. Do you think..."

"No, I don't know what to think. Remember, we don't even know who we are."

"I guess that complicates things. Just a bit."

The echo-y robotic voice announced the arrival of the train. The hissing sounds of hydraulics opening doors filled the air, followed by the hustle and bustle of passengers getting on and off the train. The pair walked into the train, unsure of what to do or where to go. The bodies of all the passengers swayed forward then backward as the train accelerated from a halt.

The boy laughed softly, drawing the attention of a curious passenger standing across from him. This whole "being dead" thing was starting to mess with his mind. If he was in fact murdered as he suspected, who was behind it? And the girl, she was probably murdered with me too. Why else would our ID numbers be right next to each other? Not to mention we were in the same exam room and our belongings next to each other. If we really were targeted and killed at the same time, do the killers know we're alive? And if they know we're alive, does that mean they're after us? Have they already found us? Or are they just toying with us to see where we are going? Is that it? Were we in hiding and were lured out to be killed? Who were we hiding from? And why? If the-

A tug at his wrist and a flash of green hair as the girl turned around and looked at him expectantly said he needed to exit the train. His train of thought halted, as did the train on which they rode. He couldn't tell whether the hissing he heard was that of the doors opening or his own mind beginning to fry as he sought answers.

"Come on, we'll find out everything soon enough. Besides, I have our 'death' files with me."

"Our 'death' files...did you steal the medical folders?"

"Don't be so worried. It's not like they needed the files anyway. Not to mention their information is outdated now. We're alive." She grinned mischievously as she faced the doors and walked out, half dragging the confused boy along with her.

"Where are we going?" the boy half-panted, half-asked. They had been walking for quite some time now, pushing and shoving through the busy streets.

"To our apartment, of course" the girl responded mater-of-factly.

"Our apartment? We live in apartment? Where?"

"Ha. That's funny."

"What's funny?" the boy was even more confused.

"You were more concerned where our apartment was, rather than the fact that it was OUR apartment."

She smiled deviously, emphasizing "OUR", realizing the full implications of sharing living quarters.

"Uhm. Well. Yeah. I mean. That kinda surprised me too. But..well. You know. Uh." he stammered, unsure of how to respond to this new information. They shared an apartment. Could this mean...no! Stop it. She's only messing with you.

"Oh you worry too much. Be more care-free! Like me!"

"Well you don't even know who 'me' is!"

"Doesn't matter really. We'll find out soon enough."

Still pondering this newfound knowledge about THEIR apartment, he completely forgot to ask how she had figured out where they lived. They.

"How did you figure it out?"

"From your wallet, actually."

"You took my-"

He felt around in his pocket, realizing there was a lack of weight he had grown familiar to.

"According to the address on your key card, we live right...here."

They stopped in front of a tall 14-story apartment building that pointed toward the heavens. At its base was an underground garage entrance as well as a lobby with windows as tall as the walls themselves. Guarding the lobby doors was a keypad and a card slot. While the girl was looking up admiring the height and grandeur of the building, the boy was taking notice of the number and placement of the security cameras, guards, color of the cars parked on the streets, and all the people hanging about the front entrance of the building. The girl noticed the ways his eyes darted around, absorbing every detail of his surroundings and storing them somewhere in his mind.

"You were a thinker."

"What?" The boy was brought back to reality.

"You were a thinker. I see you trying to assess all possible dangers we might encounter. You were also a survivor. You can tell when to run or when to act calm. You weren't a soldier though; our 'arduous' journey up the subway stairs said that much. No, you knew how to think and how to survive."

The boy seemed annoyed. Maybe it was because she thought she knew him better than he did. She didn't even know herself! How can she know me?

"Well done, detective. Now if only 'thinker' and 'survivor' were my names, I would feel a lot better. I have a feeling those aren't my names though."

"Oh cheer up. And let's go! You've been staring at everything around you for long enough. We're safe here."

They walked up to the front doors where he swiped his card. A gentle green glow followed by a rather audible *click* said they could enter.

"Ah! Welcome back! After I heard you two had been rushed to the hospital I was getting worried! Here's all the mail you two received while you were gone, sir." The guard's eyes seemed to light, as he recognized the pair.

"Oh yes, thank you!" the girl responded. "We're fine now! Just a small accident is all."

"Glad to hear that. Have a nice day!"

The guard waved to them as the pair walked to the elevator, which was already on its way down. The heavy machinery of the elevator quieted to a halt as the elevator reached the lobby. The doors slid open to reveal a young couple standing in the elevator. As they left, the other couple took their place.

"I suppose the guard doesn't know the full details of our 'accident' then?" the boy asked as the doors closed.

"No...he seemed innocent enough. Here, we live on the 8th floor."

"How'd you figure that out?"

"You probably were a thinker but you're not all that bright, are you?" the girl teased. "It says what room number it is to be delivered to, right here, on the mail. And look what else it says?" she grinned.

"Lelouch Lamperouge...is that my name?" the boy stared at the letter, as if waiting for the name to miraculously change.

"I think it is! Well this is our floor, Lelouch."

She emphasized 'Lelouch' to remind him he now had a name. Now they knew who he was, they had to figure out who she was. She felt her heart sink, at the realization she still didn't know who or what she was. The possibility she could be inhuman frightened her, as she remembered what had happened to the guard in the morgue. Remembering they had found out Lelouch's name brightened her spirits though, as they set off toward their apartment.

"What number?" the boy hesitated as he looked up and down the halls.

"It says...806."

"802...804...806! Right here! Care to do the honors?" Lelouch gestured toward the door dramatically, with one arm crossing his side and the other resting on the lock. The girl stepped forward, swiped the card, and with a resounding *click*, the lock went green. Lelouch turned the handle and pushed open the door, and for the first time again, they entered their apartment. Their.

...


	4. Chapter 4

...

Chapter 4

...

The first thing that was made apparent to Lelouch was the nearly overwhelming aroma of pizza. His nose crinkled as he felt the grease permeate his very being. Where the smell came from he could not tell, but one could almost inhale the smell of pizza and already have a full meal. It was a small apartment, definitely capable of housing 2 people, but beyond this it would seem cramped. A curious assortment of heavy coats hung on the rack near the front door. The room felt heavy, almost dark. Could it be the heavy downpour outside? Or was it something the occupants left behind?

Lelouch set down the mail on the kitchen table next to the Leaning Tower of Pizza he found. About 7 empty pizza boxes, all bearing the Pizza Hut logo, were stacked on top of each other. One of the two must have deeply enjoyed pizza, and by Lelouch's own reaction to the smell, he doubted it was him.

"I'm going to go change-is that...pizza?" The girl stopped looking around and instead stared wide-eyed at the heavenly structure of pizza boxes.

"Yes, it seems it was pizza. It's empty, I'm afraid. You like this stuff?"

The girl walked up to the stack of boxes, opening them one by one to see if there was any left.

"I suppose I do...it's like the pizza is just calling to me..." She continued rifling through the boxes.

"It certainly is." Lelouch raised one eyebrow at the girl's curious affinity for pizza.

"Are you sure this is all we have? The pizza, I mean."

"I'm pretty sure. Unless you want to go check your bedroom. Who knows? Maybe you slept with the pizza too."

Instead of taking offense to his somewhat crude remark, she hastened to run up the stairs where the bedrooms most likely were.

Lelouch shook his head and proceeded to go to the kitchen where he took inventory of their food supply. What good is returning from the grave if you can't stay alive? He surveyed their cookware, which was not all that impressive. Do we just order pizza all the time? He hoped it wasn't true. His head was almost starting to hurt again from all the grease he inhaled. He looked at the source of his pains and made up his mind.

After opening all the cabinet and pantry doors he finally found a box of garbage bags. Quickly pulling out a bag, he unfolded it and shook it up and down, forcing air into the bag that would open it. Holding his breath, he picked up each empty pizza box by the corner, one at a time, dropping it into the garbage bag. He held it as far away from himself as possible, treating it as if it were some diseased amputated limb he was not supposed to touch. Box by box, the Leaning Tower of Pizza diminished until it was no more. He looked up at the stairs, hoping the girl had not yet returned from searching for any more pizza boxes. Grabbing the drawstrings of the bag, he tied up the greasy mess and deposited the bag next to the garbage bin in the kitchen to be disposed of later. He breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize the smell remained. He groaned and rolled his eyes at his stupidity. "Getting rid of the body does not cover up the murder," he chided himself. He paused in his thinking, realizing the irony of his thoughts and his current situation.

*psssssssssss*

*pssss*

*psssssssss*

Lelouch was in the middle of spraying the entire room with a bottle of Febreeze in hopes of it truly getting rid of the smell when suddenly there was a light tap on his shoulder. He whirled around to face the green-haired girl who had now changed, no longer wearing her bloody shirt or the scrubs. She was crossing her arms. And glaring at him.

"What do you think you're doing."

Her question was more like a statement. A very threatening statement. She tip-toed and looked over his shoulder at the garbage bag he had just tied off. He followed her gaze and turned around to see what she was staring at.

"Uh." was all he could manage.

"Nevermind that." She started. "We have more pressing matters to deal with, Mr. Lelouch Lamperouge."

"I still haven't gotten used to my own name..."

She scoffed.

"Well if you thought you couldn't get used to your name, how do you suppose I can get used to mine?"

"You found your name?"

"Mhm. It was on a picture I found in my bedroom. Or our bedroom, I should say. My name is C.C."

"C.C.? Interesting name...Well nice to meet you C.C. Congratulations on being the only person I know."

She scoffed again.

"You're forgetting I found the picture in our bedroom. OUR bedroom, Lelouch."

"I highly doubt it can be OUR bedroom." he was mimicking her emphasis of 'our'. He returned to spraying the room with Febreeze.

"This house is definitely big enough for two bedrooms. I don't see how my past more knowledgeble self could have allowed me to sleep in the same bed as you."

"Who said anything about the same bed? The bedroom was big enough for two. Unless you're implying something of course."

She smirked her usual smirk whenever she wanted to tease him. Oh, this was going to be fun. Lelouch began to turn a shade of red, realizing his poor word choice and his even poorer deductions.

"Well...I only meant-"

"Relax. You were right, there was only one bed."

"Oh whew, I-WHAT?!" Lelouch turned an even deeper shade of red after hearing this news. He hurriedly picked up a Clorox wipe and began to scrub down the place the boxes had been stacked, in hopes of busying himself.

"Come on! I'll show you our room! The bed's nice and comfy too!"

"N-no...I'm fine...you know, it's getting late. I'm just...gonna check out the showers...yeah."

"Hmph" C.C. left and climbed the stairs to THEIR bedroom.

Looking at the picture once again, she noticed how happy they both looked. In the foreground, Lelouch was giving C.C. a piggy-back ride while she was attempting to cover his eyes with her hands. They wee both smiling and appeared happy. Suddenly she swooped up the picture and stared at it closely.

"Is it there...do I have one...?" She thought while examining the picture. She stared at her hands that were covering Lelouch's eyes.

"I guess I don't..."

She could only wonder how such a happy couple could end up the way they were now. She quickly went down the stairs and realized the bathroom door was closed.

"Probably Lelouch in the shower. But I don't hear water...forget it."

Lelouch stared at himself in the bathroom mirror for a good half an hour. Just as he was about to shower, he noticed several deep scars on his chest. They were slightly darker colored, compared to his pale skin. He poked at them, realizing they were calloused and probably had few nerve endings. He continued to poke at them, wondering what they came from. Was his theory about the gunshot wounds true?

C.C. opened the medical files she had swiped from the morgue. She found Lelouch's file which she read aloud to herself softly.

"Multiple...gunshot wounds? Gunshots? Major organ damage...pierced lungs...blood loss...what happened to him?"

Her eyes trailed down to the notes section of the report.

"...died within 2 minutes upon arrival? Poor guy...same transport as..."

She quickly put down the file in her hand and searched for her own medical report. Just then, she heard the shower turn on. Guess he's alright after all.

She read through her own file more thoroughly this time, searching for connections to Lelouch's file. According to her finds, they arrived in the same transport and received similar injuries. Not to mention they both died.

Halfway through his shower, Lelouch realized he forgot to bring any clothes into the bathroom with him. Nor was there a towel hanging on the rack. He groaned inwardly again as he realized his only option.

"C.C.?" he shouted above the torrent of the water.

C.C., still deep in thought, did not notice his faint calls until the third time. She looked up from her files officiating their deaths and realized Lelouch was calling.

"What is it?"

"I forgot my clothes!"

"You what?"

"I don't have any clothes!"

"Very informative. And you want me to do what, exactly?"

"GIVE ME MY CLOTHES."

The fact that Lelouch was frantically screaming how he forgot his clothes was enough to make C.C. begin laughing hysterically.

"C.C.? C.C.!"

"Okay...I'm going to...get your clothes now...hold on" she managed between fits of laughter.

She ran upstairs to their bedroom and began pulling out drawers. She pulled out a dingy old uniform looking thing and hurried back downstairs.

"Lelouch, I'm opening the door. I sure hope I can't see you."

Opening the door, she was greeted by a blast of steam. She felt as if she was walking into a cloud. The only difference about this cloud was the fact that it concealed a very unclothed Lelouch. She put the clothes down in a basket next to the shower and began to leave when Lelouch called.

"C.C.?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have a towel?"

"Couldn't find any, sorry."

"That's quite alright."

Unbeknownst to Lelouch, C.C. simply stood there for the ending duration of his shower. A rusty squeak followed by a thud was the sound the shower knob made when Lelouch turned off the water. C.C., still deep in thought pondering their 'deaths' did not notice until too late.

Lelouch drew back the curtains to encounter C.C. merely standing there. With a yelp, he drew back the curtains before slipping and falling over in the shower. C.C. looked at the curtain, completely unaware that its user had just opened and closed it in rapid succession.

"WHOA-" he cried out as he realized C.C. was standing there. He lost his footing on the slippery tiles, just coated with a layer of soap.

"Is something wrong?" C.C. asked innocently.

A loud thud accompanied by a shout responded affirmative to her question.

"Are you ok? ...Lelouch...?"

No answer.

"Lelouch?" C.C. was becoming slightly worried. After about a minute of no movement, she knew something was wrong.

"Lelouch, are you ok? Um, I really don't want to have to check on you right now."

"Maybe he's playing a prank..." C.C. considered.

"I'm going to open the shower curtain Lelouch! I have a camera too!" she tested.

Normally, Lelouch would have responded with an incredulous "WHAT?!", however he did not. The only response he gave was silence. Something was wrong.

C.C. had a terrible thought.

"Oh no...did he...?"

She cautiously drew back the curtains to find an unconscious Lelouch laying in a puddle of water that had not quite drained. The puddle was slowly turning red.

"Lelouch!" she screamed.

...


	5. Chapter 5

...

Chapter 5

...

Lelouch woke up to darkness with what felt like a massive hangover. The back of his head throbbed like no other. His pain seemed to pulse in waves, moving from the back of his head to the front. He realized the pillow on which he rested was wet. Was that a pillow? No, it felt like a gel of some kind. He tried to roll over to his right side but realized it was the edge of the bed. It was probably not a good idea to get up now, he thought. He rolled over to his left, only to end up with a mass of shimmering green hair in his face. His head was beginning to hurt even more with all of his turning so he decided to stay in his current position. His headache slowly quieted, but still throbbed in the back of his subconscious. After what seemed like hours, the room began to light up with the first rays of dawn.

C.C. stirred from her sleep, exhausted from the previous night's exertions. After trying to drag Lelouch's unconscious body up the stairs to their bedroom, she was faced with the more difficult task of clothing him with her eyes closed. Eventually she settled for a bath towel tied around his waist. Funnily enough, she found the bath towel after he had taken his shower. She found an ice gel pack and placed it under his head to help the swelling. She realized his gash had already healed but he was still unconscious. Deciding it was enough, she collapsed on the bed right next to him.

She awoke to something pressed up behind her. Realizing it was Lelouch, she rolled out of bed to spare him the embarrassment of waking up next to her. Lelouch began to mumble in his sleep. Curious, C.C. bent closer to him to listen in. After a few moments however, she realized he was only snoring. She looked at the clock hung on the wall.

8:07

She sighed, realizing she had not slept much, but now had to stay awake to make sure Lelouch didn't hurt himself again. She didn't want to test the boundaries of their newfound supposed immortality. Speaking of which, how did they become immortal in the first place? Where they really human at all? All this thinking was starting to make her head too, so she decided to leave all the explanations for Lelouch to find.

_"Don't you want to know Zero's true identity? Who he really is?"_

BANG

Shrapnel pierced his forehead and the mask of darkness he relied so dearly upon was cloven in two. His world fell to the left and right of him, like the curtains of a stage, except this stage was no masterful production, but the product of lies and deception. Natural unfiltered light streamed in that seemed to pierce his face and reveal the person he truly was.

_"Zero..."_ The voice seemed to come from the air, hissing as it went past his face.

His vision became clouded and realized he was staring into the face of a girl. She was not C.C., however. Her pink hair cascaded past her lower back. She had an innocent enough complexion for him to rule her out as an enemy or threat. Suddenly her face was replaced by a mask, a white mask highlighted by horrifying streaks of red. What was odd about this particular mask was the fact that it only had a hole for the wearer's right eye.

The sight of the mask set Lelouch's hair on end. Why was this mask so familiar?

_"Zero..."_

The world around him went dark, illuminated only by several other masks, which let off an eerie white glow. The pink-haired girl's mask, no...was her hair pink? It seemed a bloody red now. Her mask began to laugh manically, sending shivers down Lelouch's spine.

He realized it was the girl who was talking. It was not the sweet innocent voice he expected however, rather it was a deep voice that seemed to almost match his own. He pressed a hand to his mouth to make sure it wasn't actually him who was speaking.

_"You, who dealt out death so freely: are you ready to accept the repercussions? Are you, who killed, prepared to be killed? That was always our favorite phrase..."_

_"Zero..."_ the wind whispered again. Where was the wind coming from?

The mask seemed to taunt him, as the mouth slowly began to split into a freakish smile.

_"Zero..."_

One by one, the other masks followed suit, all mocking him. Suddenly, they all fell, shattering upon contacting the floor. Floor? In this room of nightmares and darkness, where was the floor? He looked down to find this 'floor', looking for something to ground him back to reality. He realized he was looking at C.C.'s face, as though on a screen he was standing on.

Lelouch?

"Gah!" Lelouch woke with a start. C.C. was peering down at him again, with fascination that matched her expression when she first met him in the morgue.

"Are you ok?"

"Those masks...they...they-"

"Nightmare?"

"You could say that...but I felt like I recognized some of it..."

"That's typical." she sounded carefree.

"We've lost our memories, remember?" She continued "Maybe it'll come back in your dreams."

C.C. was sitting next to him in bed, her legs under the covers and her head propped against a pillow she stood against the headboard. Lelouch rubbed his eyes, attempting to physically wipe out memory of that terrifying nightmare.

"So what happened? Yesterday, I mean. I was in the shower and I was trying to get out, but I forgot what happened after that."

"Oh...um..." It was C.C.'s turn to be embarrassed.

"Well you were in the shower...and..."

Lelouch looked at her, waiting for an answer.

"And?"

"Well you fell. Actually. I think you hit your head on the tub because when I..."

"When you...what? I really have no idea what happened to me."

"Well I had to...um..."

"Um?"

Lelouch laughed to himself, struggling to remember what happened after he tried to open the curtain. He really was not good with memories, was he? Why did it seem that this girl was hiding something from me? If I had an accident in the shower, she could've told me straight off. Unless...he paused, realizing what she was afraid of telling him.

"Did you...see me?"

C.C. went as red as Lelouch had, got up, and ran out of the room, covering her face. Lelouch now had one eyebrow he could devote to C.C.'s madness, raising it whenever she did something strange. He raised that eyebrow.

"C.C.? C.C.!" he called after her.

He tried to sit up in bed, but his head hurt almost as bad as it did the other day, escaping the morgue.

"C.C., I need help getting up!"

"Put on a shirt first! Then I might help you."

"Wha-"

Lelouch looked down at himself and realize he indeed had no shirt. It dawned upon him as he realized what C.C. meant. Most likely, he had fallen unconscious in the shower, causing C.C. to drag him upstairs and throw him onto the bed. The only complication, besides his now deadweight body, was his state of undress. She had probably tried to clothe him but was too embarrassed to do so properly, hence the towel wrapped around his waist.

Lelouch gave up and resorted to rolling over the bed. He found this to be quite easy, and soon was falling off the bed. However, he did not take into account the fact his legs were nearly bound together by the towel. Unable to properly swing his legs over the bed, he simply fell over like a snowball rolling down a hill. With another yell, he fell 2 feet off the bed, onto the floor. On the way down, he hit his temple on the edge of the nightstand placed next to his bed. For the third time since he woke, his head began to throb mercilessly.

C.C. heard the thump from downstairs. "Not again..." she thought. She began to climb the stairs, each step sounding in their apartment. Lelouch heard this and realized too late he was still lacking a shirt. Lelouch watched in horror as C.C. stepped through the room and for the second time, set eyes upon a shirtless Lelouch.

Lelouch panicked, and seeing the bedsheets, quickly yanked them off of the bed to cover himself. Too late though, as C.C. inhaled sharply, closed her eyes, and turned on her heel.

"C.C.! Wait! I still don't have any clothes!"

Suddenly the old uniform C.C. had given him in the shower earlier was flying across the room. It did one...two...three flips before landing on Lelouch's face, blocking his vision.

"Here. How many times do I have to help you get dressed? This is the third time. Goodness." she feigned mock annoyance from across the room.

"Oh, been keeping score, have you?" Lelouch decided to respond in her fasion.

She rolled her eyes and left the room, praying Lelouch would finally clothe himself when she returned.

His mind returned to his dream.

_Zero._

Just a number? Or something more sinister?

...


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

Hello, peoples of the earth. It has been brought to my attention that Lelouch and C.C. are becoming slightly out of character, more so in regards to C.C. I would like to inform you that this was my intention. Since they lost their memories, I believe they no longer have their previous burdens that made them into the stoic gloomy people they were in the actual show (C.C. doesn't remember all the hundreds of depressing years she has lived and Lelouch no longer feels depressed by the deaths of practically everyone he knows). They both are around 16-19 now (if you think their immortality makes them perpetually teenagers), so I think they would act their age as normal people. Well, maybe not so normal. Enough explanation, continue the story!

Waaaiiittt a second. To Lunanite, My awesome first reviewer: I had actually written in a portion about the news before your suggestion about the newspaper and TV was posted. Good job at predicting what I was going to write!

To ElementsofSurprises: Yes, you were right about the shirtless thing. Writing scenes with shirtless guys has never really been my strong point. Just threw it in there for fun.

Now, onto the story!

...

Chapter 6

...

By the time Lelouch had decided to join C.C. downstairs for breakfast, she had already finished. Lelouch looked at the table where C.C. sat and realized with horror the food she ate. Next to what used to be a bowl of milk and cereal was a plastic package of pepperoni. The same kind of pepperoni used in the making of pizzas. Lelouch's stomach began to turn.

"Did you eat...the cereal...with...THAT?"

C.C. looked up from her finished meal and noticed Lelouch's reaction.

"Jumping to conclusions again? It's not what it looks like. I ate it separately, ok?"

"I certainly hope so..."

Lelouch's stomach began to quiet down.

"Why don't you get something to eat? Then we'll discuss the future of our immortality together."

"Sounds like a plan..." Lelouch walked over to the fridge and opened it.

"None of our food is molded..." he observed. "That means the time between our deaths and now was pretty short, short enough for the food to not spoil."

He found a block of cheese, no doubt used for making homemade pizza for C.C. He unwrapped it and took a whiff. He nearly threw up at the overpowering scent. However, neither the smell of rot or mold was present in the cheese, confirming Lelouch's suspicions.

He picked up the milk carton C.C. had just used for her cereal.

Expiration date: 2020 September 19

What day was it today? Lelouch found a calendar pinned to the wall. No, that wouldn't do him any good. It's not like he knew the day of the week or even the year, for that matter.

"C.C.? Do we get the morning newspaper?"

"I'll go check."

A click followed by the scrape of carpet announced the opening of the front door. Another rustling of paper told Lelouch they did in fact receive the newspaper.

"It says it's Thursday, September 18th. The year is 2020."

"Hm..."

Lelouch really didn't feel all that hungry, deciding to eat a single apple for breakfast. He sat down at the table, across from C.C.

"No wonder you're so skinny." C.C. mused, not looking up from the paper. Might as well catch up on daily events.

"You WOULD know how skinny I am, wouldn't you?" Lelouch figured if she took all possibilities to tease him, why not do the same?

C.C. raised the newspaper several inches, no doubt covering up her reddening face.

Lelouch found a TV remote lying on the table. He picked it up and the TV sprung to life.

"Hi everyone, Milly Ashford here! Today, we're bringing you live coverage from the..."

C.C. looked up, startled by the sudden onslaught of noise. Realizing it was just the news, she put down her newspaper and contented herself upon watching the digital version of the news.

"Here in the main city plaza of the Shinjuku ghetto, a memorial is to be built, honoring the victims of the recent terrorist attacks. These cowardly terrorists, calling themselves the Dark Phoenixes, have targeted peace projects such as these reconstruction zones, where buildings and homes destroyed by the War of the Black Rebellion are being rebuilt. The end of the war in 2018 signaled a reign of peace, but was cut short by these terrorists. Motive for these attacks are uncertain. A candlelight vigil is to be held this Sunday, the 21st. Reporting live from Shinjuku Ghetto, this is Channel 5 news."

"Dark Phoenixes? Sounds too cheesy to be a serious terrorist group. Why not pick a better name? Hm...The Black Knights sounds so much better. I like the ring to that..." Lelouch took a bite of the apple.

"Mn." affirmed C.C. in her usual nonchalant tone.

She picked up the newspaper, uninterested by the weather report now flying across the screen. It looked like it would continue to rain for the next week. Lelouch took another bite.

"We weren't married."

Lelouch choked on the bite he had just taken. C.C. simply stared at him. After what seemed like several minutes, he coughed the apple out of his lungs and swallowed normally, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We weren't married. See this picture?" C.C. picked up the picture of Lelouch carrying her. Pointing to her ring finger, which was covering his eyes, Lelouch saw there was no ring. Lelouch relaxed.

"Oh, you said weren't. I thought you said-"

"Nope, I said weren't. As in were not. Don't get your hopes too high, kiddo. I don't know how outdated this picture is."

"Hopes...now just wait a minute!"

"Actually, I was waiting for you. I'm going out. Wanna come?" C.C. gently set down the picture frame.

"Going out where?" Lelouch hurriedly took another bite.

"Not sure really. Visit the town? We have to find out who we were, right?"

In truth, C.C. wanted to visit the Pizza Hut she saw on her way to the apartment. She had hoped to sneak out the day before, but seeing as Lelouch had knocked himself out, she decided against it.

Putting on their coats and grabbing an umbrella, Lelouch offered his arm to C.C.

"What a gentleman," C.C. said sarcastically.

They left the apartment arm in arm.

...

Streets

...

Lelouch and C.C. explored the surrounding area sheltered by an umbrella, their steps nearly in sync. Under the dense fog, the bright neon of a Pizza Hut shone through as a beacon to the hungry masses. C.C. noticed this and tugged on Lelouch's arm, looking at him.

"What is it?" Lelouch's gaze followed where C.C. was pointing. Lelouch looked at C.C., raising the eyebrow he reserved for her.

"You've got to be kidding..."

"Oh come on, I'm hungry. I can't remember the last time I had a pizza."

"C.C., we couldn't even remember our names. Besides, we just had breakfast."

"I didn't have pizza for breakfast..."

"As your breakfast should be! Pizza is in no way a breakfast food."

"Well seeing as we already ate breakfast, this will be considered lunch." C.C. smirked, thinking her logic was sound. Lelouch shook his head.

"Nevermind the pizza."

C.C. looked down, dejected. It was true though. Maybe she just wanted an excuse to bother Lelouch, since she knew her affinity for pizza was something he couldn't quite understand.

"Whoa, what is that?" Lelouch stopped and squinted, trying to bring the far-away scene into focus.

"Changing the subject will not change my love for pizza, Lelouch." C.C. continued to stare down at her feet.

"No, really. It looks like...a crime scene! Check it out, there's caution tape and police cars and everything!"

C.C.'s interest was piqued at the mention of police. She too, peered into the distance, making out the outline of a patrol car parked sideways, blocking the road.

The two slowly went up to the crime scene.

"Oh...Lelouch...it looks like it was a murder..."

C.C.'s knees felt weak as she saw the two chalk outlines where the bodies lay.

"A double murder, at that..." Lelouch observed.

Lelouch sensed that she felt uncomfortable and held onto her arm tighter. Lelouch walked up to one of the patrol cars, when a door opened and an officer stepped out.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to not come any closer to the crime scene. This is a police investigation."

"Sorry, officer. It's just that we usually walk through this street." Lelouch fibbed. For all he knew, they really could have taken this street as a daily route.

"What happened here? We were on vacation recently. When was this?" Lelouch fibbed again, unless he considered their resurrection and escape from the city morgue a vacation.

"I hope you understand we can't release too many details to the news, let alone the general populace."

The officer continued. "We can tell you however, we have found evidence that suggests a double murder took place here, a few days ago. Victims were reported to be one male and one female. We were just finalizing all of our data before the rain washes everything away."

The officer looked up into the sky, squinting as to not let rain get into his eyes.

"Ah, I see. Well good luck on your investigation, officer." Lelouch nodded to the officer before turning around and returning the way they came.

The gutters near the crime scenes ran with a sickening reddish-brown. Obviously, the blood from the murders had not completely disappeared yet. From the positions of the chalk outlines, it seemed the victims' hands were reaching out toward each other. A boy and a girl, the officer had said. Were they in love? Lelouch could only imagine what was going on inside their minds as they died next to each other.

"Lelouch..." For once, C.C. sounded genuinely afraid.

"You don't think that...that...was us back there...do you?"

Lelouch understood her concerns perfectly, for they were also in his mind.

"I'm not sure, but we shouldn't go back there again. In the case it was actually us, we wouldn't want them to recognize us. That would just raise questions I don't care to answer."

They continued back down the path they came. The smell of rain and wet concrete filled the air. Lelouch's chest felt hollow from the cold weather. On their way back, they passed by the Pizza Hut once again. The aroma of freshly baked pizza seemed to revitalize Lelouch's spirits. Perhaps pizza wasn't so bad, after all?

"Say, you wanna get some pizza?" He tried to put on his best smile. Lelouch could tell that C.C. didn't feel well, after being confronted by the place she very well may have died. To his surprise, C.C. shook her head.

"No...I don't feel hungry anymore..."

Lelouch studied her face as they walked. Her face was unnaturally pale, and he doubted it was because of the cold or rain. Her steps slowed and her head bobbed back and forth, as if walking in a trance. Crossing the street, Lelouch led a dizzy C.C. back to the apartment building.

Once on the 8th floor, Lelouch noticed C.C.'s breathing had nearly shortened to the point of hyperventilating. Going as fast as possible without literally dragging her, Lelouch brought C.C. back inside the comfort of their apartment.

Once inside, C.C. doubled over before running to the bathroom and slamming the door where Lelouch heard the sickening sounds of C.C. emptying the contents of her stomach. Lelouch picked up a phone.

"Hello, Pizza Hut? I'd like to order 5 large pizzas. Yes, I said 5."

...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

...

The Commander strolled up and down his personal living quarters, holding a short glass. The rim of the glass had a single band of pure 24 karat gold painted on top. At the bottom, carvings in the shape of "V's" were made. The end result was a majestic scotch glass, resembling a crown.

The cup was empty, save for traces of residue that stuck to the bottom of the glass. The Commander took in a deep breath before making his way to the liquor cabinet conveniently placed next to his desk. He retrieved a bottle, removed the top, and slowly poured into his glass. He replaced the top, producing a small squeak, as glass rubbed against glass.

He quickly downed his glass, before placing it gently on the table. He exhaled sharply as the alcohol burned down his throat.

A mahogany bookshelf matching the height of the 15-foot-tall room made it clear he was an educated man. His personal quarters would have been the envy of many figures of royalty. Though it was of military purpose, his room exuded elegance and style. Perhaps most importantly, every single portion of the room was bulletproof. Even the blankets of his bed were bulletproof. Hidden in between the soft layers of down were high-density kevlar sheets, capable of stopping automatic machine gun fire. He was a prepared man.

Taking a long glance at the full-figure painting of his father hung above his desk, he swiftly left his room.

As soon as he stepped foot outside his room, the two guards watching over the entrance snapped to attention. At this signal, someone blew a whistle: a low note, followed by a shrill high, then another low.

"H'tten-SHUN!"

The entire room either stood from their seats if they were sitting or swiftly brought their heels together if they were standing.

The Commander surveyed the room slowly, admiring his enormous number of followers, all ready to die for what they believed, if necessary. He smiled the smile of a craftsman observing his handiwork.

"Commence Operation Knight Sky." The deep voice boomed.

This was the signal everyone had been waiting for. The volume level in the room quickly quadrupled.

"Commander." A sergeant walked up to the commander, giving a salute.

"Mobile A reports ready. Shall we send the authorization codes?"

"Very well. Let's bring our boy back home, shall we?" The Commander chuckled at his latter statement.

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant lowered his arm and went to a nearby computer terminal to deliver the codes.

This room was the bridge which resided on the top of their enormous flying fortress. Capable of launching hundreds of Knightmare Frames, it boasted a state-of-the-art cloaking drive that rendered it practically invisible. The only way it became noticeable was when it rained merciless fire upon its enemies, obliterating its foes with hundreds of mounted Hadron blasters.

Back on the ground, the van dubbed "Mobile A" proceeded with their end of the mission.

"System-wide alert! We have the go codes, authorization code GT4699"

"Go codes confirmed, all systems go, I repeat, all systems go."

"Copy that. Operation Knight Sky is now authorized. Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. In the event of an emergency, please wave your arms wildly in the air like an obnoxious dumb-ass until someone notices you." The operator sitting at the computer grinned stupidly before touching his finger to his headset.

"All agents, code in. This party just got started."

"Ground Unit 1 to Mobile A, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear, Unit 1. Moving in now."

Back on the ground, the van dubbed "Mobile A" proceeded with their end of the mission.

"The order has been placed, sir. Mobile A and Ground Unit 1 are now active."

"Very well, then."

The Commander certainly hoped his plan would work. No, he was sure his men could pull it off. The poor boy was confused enough as it is.

A sharp knock on the door.

"C.C.? You okay?"

A rush of running water sounded through the bathroom door. The sounds of spitting could be faintly heard, followed by the sound of more water. Suddenly the door opened. Out came C.C., wiping her mouth.

"C.C.?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine..."

"No, really, I'll be fine."

"You'll be fine? So you're not fine right at this moment?"

C.C. shook her head.

"I guess I was just shocked."

A knock on the door startled her.

"Are we expecting anyone?"

"Yes, actually. I ordered pizza."

"You did?" C.C. was getting more excited.

Lelouch walked to the door where he closed one eye to look through the peephole. A girl with firey-red hair and a baseball cap held Lelouch's stack of pizzas. He undid the deadbolt and the secondary lock and opened the door.

"Hi, there, Mr. Lamperouge?" she called.

"Yes, that's right."

"Alright, mind if I set these down over there?" She gestured to the table.

"Not at all."

The girl behind the pizza boxes walked over to the table and slowly set down the stack. Suddenly she swept off her cap, threw open the second pizza box, and pulled out not a freshly-baked thin crust with extra peppers and sausage, but a Brittanian pistol. A silencer protruded from its barrel. Lelouch panicked, bracing himself for the hail of bullets. Even though he was immortal, he was still susceptible to pain. He immediately pushed C.C. back, trying to cover her body with his.

"Now wait just a second...! What the hell are you do-"

"We don't have time. Right now, you need to follow me. Yours is in there too."

The girl began looking around corners and under tables as she continued talking, or rather, confusing Lelouch.

"Unfortunately I couldn't pack your _beloved_ hollowed shells, but the feel should be the same. I made sure it had your custom grip with the counterbalance and hair trigger. Did I get your order right?"

Lelouch began to back away more, tugging on C.C.'s arm and putting her behind him as he spread his arms, shielding her from this strange woman.

The girl looked confused upon seeing Lelouch's reaction to her.

"What are you waiting for? Here, catch!"

The girl reached into the box, pulling out another pistol and a magazine. She first tossed the weapon to Lelouch before tossing the magazine next. Lelouch caught the weapon and the magazine, unsure of what to do with either. Was she a threat? Should he shoot her? No, she wouldn't be a threat if she just gave him a weapon...

The girl stared at him before yelling again.

"Load the stupid thing! They're gonna be here any minute."

Lelouch just stood there, staring at the equipment in his hands.

"Goddammit Lelouch, move it!"

C.C. had now moved behind a sofa and was peering over at the scene, with only her eyes visible. He felt the weight of the weapon in his hands. It seemed to be designed for him, as it fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. Finally deciding this girl was not here to kill him, he fumbled with "his" supposed favorite weapon and attempted to slide in the magazine. Backwards.

"It's not going in!"

"You idiot! This...way."

The girl yanked the weapon out of his hands and with one fluid movement, inserted in the magazine and slid back on the hammer. The weapon gave a click and an LED on the back of the grip glowed red.

"The thing lit up...what does the light mean?"

"Red for bullets, blue for tranquillizer. Stop playing dumb!"

"I can't help it! I don't know who I am or...or who you are! I've lost my memory, dammit!" Lelouch shouted out his predicament.

The girl didn't seem to hear him. Lelouch was growing highly irritated. He didn't notice his hands tensing as he increased his grip on the weapon.

A muffled _pfft_ followed by a _CRACK_ was the result of Lelouch's weapon going off and putting a hole in a nearby bookshelf. It startled him nearly as much as it startled the girl. The pistol nearly flew out of his hand.

"What the hell are you doing? You're lucky I remembered to include the integrated silencer!"

"Sorry...I didn't think it would go off..."

"What part of 'hair trigger' don't you understand?! And what part of 'We need to go' don't you understand?"

"Who are you?"

"It's me, Kallen! You idiot, what's gotten into you? You haven't picked up your receiver in days. We were trying to warn you that they found you!"

"Who's they? And please tell me, what the hell is going-"

"We are _they_." A voice called from the door frame.

Kallen whirled around in time to see a group of soldiers in full combat gear. She swore to herself before grabbing Lelouch and raising her weapon to fire at them. The soldiers fired back, the sound of weapons fire polluting the air. Kallen and Lelouch ducked behind a wall before reloading her pistol with a magazine she had pulled out of her jacket.

"Hold!" the leader of the team barked.

"We don't want to harm Captain Lamperouge."

"Captain...me? Kallen, who are these people? What's going on?" Lelouch finally got the message that people were out to kill him. He crouched and raised his weapon, waiting for the soldiers to come around the corner.

"They're from the terrorist group, The Dark Phoenixes. Lelouch, what is going on with you? Have you lost your mind?"

"Pretty much, actually. Haven't I told you already? I've lost my memory."

"Well you better get it back pretty damn soon or else you're gonna end up with a toe tag again." Kallen seemed unsympathetic as she checked her weapon.

"Again...how did you know? Were you-"

"No time. You can have answers, or you can live."

"Or, you can have both."

The leader waltzed around the corner, seemingly unarmed and unperturbed. Kallen immediately raised her pistol, pointing at the man's forehead and proceeded to fire. With near-superhuman speed, the man leaned to the side, dodged the bullet, and drew a silenced pistol from behind his back, pointing at Kallen.

"No!" Lelouch scrambled to his feet.

"Wait! Lelouch!"

"LELOUCH!" C.C. suddenly jumped up from behind her hiding place, forgetting the dangers of being caught by the soldiers.

A muffled gunshot sounded. But Lelouch had already leapt in front of the man, putting himself between Kallen and the man's pistol. Lelouch felt himself go limp as his body crashed into the ground and slid several feet before coming to a stop against the wall. Time seemed to slow to a grinding halt. All went dark.

...

**A/N**

Oh, snap! I keep killing off my characters, don't I?


	8. Chapter 8

...

Wheee! First 1000 views! I know this may not seem like much to some, but shhhh! I'm having a moment here. Well thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed and favorited my first fanfiction! It really does give me a lot of support when people give feedback on my stuff.

**A/N:** I think I need to slow down with this storyline. I've been chugging out pretty much a chapter a day, and that doesn't leave much room for thinking time on my end. Chapter progress may slow down because I really wanna get this story right the first time. Also, I'll be going on vacation soon, so don't expect too many updates next week. Maybe I'll update even faster once I get back to make up for my tardiness. Happy reading!

...

Chapter 8

...

A sharp prick in his neck jolted Lelouch to consciousness. He felt his body lurch forward. He was sitting up on some sort of cushioned seat. When his eyes opened, everything he saw was a cloudy blur.

At the sound of an engine revving, his body was thrown back and he realized he was sitting in a car, more specifically, a limo. His vision was beginning to clear and he barely made out the outline of the man sitting across from him.

From what he could see, the man wore sunglasses with lenses that were completely circular. His brown hair was tied back and braided, and he had a short goatee. Lelouch noticed the man was waving his hand in front of his face, trying to see if he was awake.

"Hmm...give him another dose." the man said to the person next to him.

"Ouch!" Lelouch jumped as he felt another prick, and this time his vision returned completely.

"Ah, welcome back."

The man sitting across from Lelouch signaled another man. He picked up a flashlight and some other medical instrument Lelouch thought to be similar to a magnifying glass.

Lelouch tried to sit up but upon his attempt, the glasses-wearing man put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"No, sit back for now. You've been tranquillized, unfortunately. It may take some time for the countermeasures to fully kick in."

Lelouch felt his body lurch forward again, as they reached a red light.

"Your heroics really haven't changed. Still playing the messiah, eh? You shouldn't have jumped in front of her like that. I wasn't actually going to kill her, it was merely a stun dart."

"Who are you? Were you the one who shot me?"

The man nodded to the second question, intentionally avoiding the first question.

"Where's C.C.? Where are you taking me? And why are you trying to kill me?"

"Calm down, Lelouch. We're not trying to kill you; we're on your side. We'll answer all of your questions in due time. I understand you've lost your memory, correct?"

"How do you-"

"Relax. The more you talk, the more questions you'll think of."

The other man, who Lelouch had deduced to be a doctor of sorts, was now shining a flashlight in his eyes and looking at him through the magnifying glass. He was mumbling things to himself, something about dilation and rate of iris contractions.

"Should be soon, now. He has an amazing recovery rate, faster than any I've seen before."

Lelouch's head was still spinning, although his vision had fully cleared up. He felt as if his brain itself was turning round and round inside his head. Maybe he shouldn't be thinking of all these questions. But still, it would be nice to know where he was going.

Lelouch's musings were cut short as his body was thrown sharply to the right, as the car was probably making a turn. He lurched forward again, as the car stopped. The driver rolled down the glass partition between the front and back portions of the limo.

"We're here." he stated simply, before returning the glass to its former position.

"Ah, it seems we've arrived." the man with the glasses relayed the message, as if translating for a foreigner.

From inside the blacked-out windows, Lelouch was able to see the several armed guards surrounding the vehicle. The driver held a badge out of his window and the guards waved him on. Lelouch was thrown back again by the sudden acceleration of the car.

"Are we at an airport?"

Lelouch looked outside the window to see giant hangars, some large enough to hold jumbo jets. They pulled up just outside of one hangar, where everyone began to get out of the car. The man, already outside the car, gestured for Lelouch to follow.

Lelouch stepped out of the car with the rest of the men. They walked up the stairs leading into the jet while the limo drove off, clearing the runway.

Despite its small outer appearance, the private jet was incredibly spacious, that is, for a jet. Along each side of the plane were small tables where 4 people could sit, 2 on each side. This was obviously a business plane as well. The floor of the jet could rise up and the chairs would turn to face the table, effectively creating a sort of conference table. As for now, the jet stayed in its default state, without the conference table.

Lelouch and the man formerly sitting across from him sat at one table, while the others in the limo sat at different tables, leaving the two to talk.

"Anything to drink before we take off, gentlemen?" a flight attendant asked them.

"How about some champagne, to toast to the return of the Prodigal Son?"

"Very well, then." The flight attendant walked off to the back of the jet.

A deep rumble began to fill Lelouch's ears as the jet engines started up. A few moments later, their plane was barrelling down the runway.

Lelouch stared out the window, looking at the tarmac below. The man across him leaned back suddenly and folded his hands behind his head.

"I'll go first. My name is Robert Grennich, 1st lieutenant, 2nd division, of the Dark Phoenixes."

"The terrorist group?"

Lelouch was stunned he had just gotten on board with perhaps some of the most dangerous people in the world. Then again, he didn't have much of a choice. Robert laughed.

"Yes, some people do call us terrorists, but I prefer the title of freedom fighters. You see, 'terrorists' imply we rule by terror, when in fact, we wish to free the world from the government, the one true terror. Blame the twisted media for butchering our purpose and serving it to the gullible."

"I see." Lelouch was unimpressed.

"You said you knew I had lost my memory. How did you know? And if you knew that, then you should know who I was. Do you intend to use me as a bargaining chip? Who would hold such a high price on my life?"

Robert gave a hearty laugh.

"Oh-ho! I see memory loss doesn't affect your inherent unmatched skills as a thinker! I am glad!"

"Are you, or aren't you going to sell me off?" Lelouch demanded.

Robert laughed even harder. Lelouch scowled.

"I see it doesn't affect your levels of patience either! Ah-ha! I'm sorry, it's been a while since we last saw our beloved leader, hasn't it, boys?"

He looked over at the other tables who all responded with nods of approval and much raising of glasses. The flight attendant came back to Lelouch's table with the bottle of champagne along with two tall glasses.

"Your...leader? You mean I led the Dark Phoenixes?"

"Absolutely correct!" Robert's ear-to-ear grin showed his excitement at the return of his leader.

"Here, I'm proposing a toast. To the greatest, youngest, and most successful military leader of our generation. Lelouch!"

"Lelouch!" the other tables raised their glasses.

...

3 hours later

...

"This is Echo 5-1 to FF Hermes, repeat Echo 5-1 to Hermes, requesting permission to dock, over." The static voice crackled over the radio.

"This is the FF Hermes. Hermes to Echo 5-1, you have permission to dock at fighter bay 3. Welcome home."

Over the duration of the flight, Robert brought Lelouch up to speed on the status of the organization and the world. Thanks to the wonders of modern medical science, Lelouch was secretly restored to health after his public assassination.

However, the truth was that no one really knew how Lelouch had survived the assassination.

After the culmination of the Zero Requiem, Lelouch had realized his death alone had not been enough to stop the wars.

There are some things the governments just can't control. Prejudice of the people was one. To the Britannian citizens, Japanese were still not being properly recognized as Japanese. Britannians would always accidentally slip up in their speech, calling the Japanese Elevens. They were still treated as invalids, even when the world had united against Lelouch.

The Japanese did not take kindly to the actions of Britannians, and begun to do the same to them as well. Britannians did not fare well when travelling amongst Japanese. The word "Britannian" nearly became a curse word in Japanese areas, while "Eleven" was already on its way to becoming a curse word in Britannian territory.

Knowing the Black Knights would not trust him again, Lelouch had founded the Dark Phoenixes in hopes of obliterating Britannia once and for all. For the second time in his life, he waged a new war against this terrible empire.

The private jet they had flown in was now approaching the FF Hermes, the enormous aircraft carried and battleship in one. As they approached, a comparatively small hatch opened, revealing a small hangar. Compared to the rest of the ship, the hangar was the size of a door handle on a truck.

After exiting the jet, Robert and Lelouch walked through the extensive corridors of the aircraft, discussing other missing memories of Lelouch.

"First of all, where is C.C.?"

"She's safe and sound in your personal quarters. I gave my men strict orders to bring her here unharmed. It was a bit more difficult to transport your unconscious body into the limo without looking suspicious, so we sent her ahead first."

"Well I'm glad someone had the common sense to not hurt her. Who was that Kallen girl?"

"According to our sources, she was a former member of the Black Knights, the group you formerly led. After your death however, they disbanded. The core members of the Black Knights knew your true identity, so when they witnessed your assassination, they knew the current Zero was a fake."

"Where is she? I'd like to talk to her."

"You just might to keep your distance from her when you visit her in the holding cell. You see, she was sent to assassinate you. We found this among her belongings she took to your apartment."

Robert held out a pink pouch with a flap secured by a button. He pressed the button and a 5 inch knife blade shot out. Lelouch's eyes widened at the sudden appearance.

"She was going to kill me?"

"As the first Zero's captain of his personal guard, she undoubtedly held a personal vendetta against you when she realized you had left them with some inferior replacement Zero."

"Scary stuff..." Lelouch mused.

Robert came to a halt in front of a door. Lelouch did the same.

"Ah, here it is! Your personal quarters. Don't forget, in-depth briefing and debriefing at 0900 hours tomorrow. Don't be late."

Lelouch looked at the door and stepped in front of it. However, it did not automatically slide open. He looked around the frame for a button or handle of some kind.

"Oh, and your door is thumb-print activated, by the way." Robert pointed out.

Lelouch found the black square on the doorframe that was the fingerprint sensor. He pressed his thumb to it, and the square turned green.

His doors slid open, revealing C.C. lying across a large plush couch, watching the news on a giant flat-screen TV.

"C.C.?"

At the sound of her name, C.C. turned her head and looked over to face the visitor, sparkly gold eyes lighting up realizing it was Lelouch.

"Well, look who's back?" C.C. got up and walked over to Lelouch, unable to suppress her grin.

She stopped once she reached Lelouch. She hadn't really thought of what to do once she actually reached him. Should she hug him? Was that too weird? Oh, to hell with 'weird'.

She jumped up and threw her arms around Lelouch, squeezing him in a tight embrace. Lelouch, unprepared for this sudden contact, gasped when his air supply was suddenly cut off by this girl hugging him.

They awkwardly separated themselves after a short time.

"How was it like, being shot at again?"

"I actually wasn't shot. Just knocked out."

"I know. You might need to get used to being shot, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Lelouch...we need to talk."

C.C. walked past Lelouch to the door, where she pushed a button.

"Privacy lock engaged." The female computer voice announced.

"Uh...C.C.?"

...

Earlier onboard the FF Hermes

...

After settling in onboard the Hermes, C.C.'s first order of business was to check the fridge.

"Pizza...?" C.C. looked through Lelouch's fridge in hopes of finding a frozen pizza she could bake or microwave. She doubted Pizza Hut would be able to make mid-air deliveries, especially to cloaked battleships capable of levelling a small city. Lelouch would just had to have considered this problem when bringing C.C. onboard.

She gave up in her search for pizza, realizing she must have eaten all of it on her last stay here. She plopped down on the couch and found the remote, flipping through the stations until she found the news.

Lelouch still wasn't back. She still remembered watching in horror as Lelouch fell, absorbing the shot for this strange Kallen girl. Why did he do that anyway? It's not like they were friends or he knew her...what did she do for him anyway? Shortly after Lelouch was shot, the same man fired again, this time at Kallen. C.C. realized the bullets were only designed to stun the target, as Kallen also slumped over. The soldiers went to transport Kallen and Lelouch while the leader of the group personally led C.C. to another transport.

C.C. realized she was becoming slightly jealous at Lelouch's unselfish actions in taking the bullet for the other girl. Even though she later learned it was only a dart, Lelouch didn't know that, which meant he was ready to take on live ammunition for this complete stranger. Oh stop it, he's immortal, for crying out loud. He was only doing what he thought was best.

Remembering how Lelouch had shielded her when Kallen first burst through the door made C.C. regret her thinking. He was also ready to "die" for her too, even though she too was immortal.

C.C. smiled at the memory of finding the picture of her being carried by Lelouch, a picture taken when they were a seemingly happy pair. She sighed, pondering her feelings regarding Lelouch. Sure, he was handsome and sure, they were living together, but were they ever attracted toward each other? Why were they living together anyway? Did she love him? Did he love her?

"C.C.?"

Startled, C.C. looked toward the door, but no one was there and the door was unopened. Her heart froze in terror. She knew she had heard someone call her, and she knew no one had come through the door earlier. Was someone inside?

She was about to get up and search the room when suddenly the room changed. She was no longer in Lelouch's quarters, but on some strange structure. She looked up and saw what she thought to be planet Jupiter held up against a black night sky. But the planet was far too close for her to be stargazing on Earth. Where was she?

...

Sorry for the slow updates guys, this chapter was pretty long and I had to write a pretty extensive outline for where I wanted the story to go. Also, this was all written on my iPod and spell checked on my computer, so I can't type nearly as fast as the thoughts that keep coming out of my head. Not to mention the fact that my computer's built-in spell check is in conflict with the site's spell check. I hope to keep the updates coming!


	9. Chapter 9

...

A/N: I'm back from vacation! Finally! Sorry to keep you waiting. Also, I've started a new story called Code Geass: The Matrix Rebooted. I'll be working on these two simultaneously so if I accidentally submit a chapter for the wrong story, forgive me.

...

Chapter 9

...

"You're in danger, C.C."

"Who are you?!" C.C. looked around her surroundings, but found no one.

"I am god."

"Fat chance of that." C.C. spat out.

"Was that sarcasm? I cannot tell. You are correct when you say 'fat chance', for the chance is 100%. I am god."

C.C. looked up at the planet Jupiter looming in the sky, seemingly mere miles from the surface of the earth. Was it the one claiming to be god?

C.C. decided to go along with the preposterous idea that the voice she was talking to was in fact 'god'. "Let's see where this goes," she thought.

"Why am I in danger?"

"Would you like me show you?"

A dazzling white light flashed in front of her eyes. It was so brilliant, her eyes felt sore. When the light cleared, she was standing in a long white corridor, no longer looking up at the massive planet.

All along the walls of the corridors were paintings. In each of them, a familiar green-haired, gold-irised girl was the focus. There were thousands of them. Tens upon thousands, all portraying the life of a certain immortal. Upon closer inspection, one would see the exact time and day each of these pictures were taken.

_Are these...all of me?_ C.C. thought to herself.

"Yes, they are. 700 years creates a rather large build up of repressed memories."

C.C. was shocked when 'god' was able to read her mind. Maybe this 'god' has some skills after all.

"You've been wandering this earth for quite some time now, C.C. Would you care to see some of your more recent endeavours?"

Without warning or waiting for her reply, C.C. found herself whisked down the length of the massive corridor, landing a hundred pictures from the end. She stared at the pictures, unsure of what to make of them.

She came across a picture of two small children, both being watched from the shadows by none other than C.C. herself.

"Is that Lelouch? He's so...tiny. And adorable."

"I hardly believe he would appreciate your comment."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Lelouch saved me from death, as well as the unification of the entire human consciousness. Saving me, god, was no ordinary task. I believe a hero like him deserves the truth, even if he cannot remember it."

C.C. moved further down to the right, watching as Lelouch slowly grew older into the man she knew. She came across the same picture she had found in their apartment, where she had climbed onto Lelouch's back and was covering his eyes with her hands. Out of sentiment, she reached out and touched the picture tenderly.

A shock that seemed to emanate from the picture itself jolted C.C., although she was unable to remove her arm. The tingly feeling of electricity was slowly moving up her arm. She tried to yank her arm away, but it was frozen there, as if it were metal held by a strong electromagnet. Once the shock reached up to her elbow, it shot all the way up her arm, past her shoulders, up her spine, and seemingly into her very mind.

Another blinding light flashed in front of her eyes and she found herself staring up at the planet Jupiter once more.

"Lelouch...was Zero..."

...

Present-time

...

"Lelouch...we need to talk."

"Uh, C.C.?"

With two swift strides, C.C. closed the distance between them. They were quite close.

"C.C...?" Lelouch said nervously, slowly inching away.

His attempt at escape was cut short as C.C. grabbed the sides of his face with both her hands.

"Hey! I-"

C.C. leaned in and silenced Lelouch with a passionate kiss. Lelouch's eyes were still wide open from shock. Anything he was trying to say was smothered by her lips.

Suddenly his mind went blank and all he could see was white. He was no longer in his personal quarters, but felt as if he were floating.

"What's happening to me?"

"I'm returning your memories. Now hush." C.C.'s voice responded, but she sounded distant.

"C.C.? Where are you?"

"I'm in your mind. It's quite noisy in here. Do you always think this much?"

"Yes I do, especially when strange immortal girls go inside my mind and do weird things to my brain."

"Really, now? How many other immortal girls have been on your mind?" C.C. teased.

"You left out 'strange'."

"Hush."

Lelouch's head began to spin and his body began to tingle with static.

"Lelouch vi Britannia...let the seal be broken!"

C.C.'s voice grew louder and louder until Lelouch thought his ears would burst. Just as the sound reached ear-splitting intensity, Lelouch's mind returned to his body standing onboard the FF Hermes in his personal quarters.

"C.C..."

C.C. opened her eyes and realized her lips were still pressed against Lelouch's, making it difficult for either of them to speak. They both jumped back, startled at what had happened.

"We have to get out of here...if the Dark Phoenixes find out I've regained my memory, they'll know that I know we were never part of this."

Suddenly a strange burning sensation came upon Lelouch's eyes. C.C. looked into his eyes, where the distinct violet color was slowly taking on a lighter reddish hue. The familiar Geass sigils reappeared.

Lelouch ran over to his bedroom where he found the door to the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, he stared at his reflection. Twin Geass sigils burned in both his eyes, giving off an ominous glow.

In the reflection of the mirror, he saw C.C. approaching behind him.

"I still can't control them..."

"Always losing control over yourself, huh?" C.C. produced a small pink box, similar to the box she had previously given him.

Lelouch left the bathroom and sat down on the bed.

"C.C.?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"What was I going to do? You're still the only person I truly know."

"I guess that's true, huh? Witch."

C.C. grinned, glad she was finally able to talk to Lelouch normally again.

...

0000 hours

...

Kallen continued her stare-down with the detention cell camera. The room was so tiny, there really was no need for any more than one camera. In order to keep her mind occupied, she tried to imagine the reactions of the guards watching the security feed as she stared them down mercilessly. If looks could kill...

A faint *beep* echoed throughout the room. Kallen looked around for the source, despite the fact she was securely tied to the chair in which she sat. Kallen returned to her staring contest, only to realize the glowing green light on the camera had dimmed to an inactive gray bulb.

The doors of the holding block swung open, revealing Lelouch. He strolled forward and looked at the guards. He lowered his sunglasses slightly and the two guards saluted before exiting the room. "What the hell? Has he regained his power? Why did he send off the guards?"

"Greetings, lady Kallen."

Lelouch sauntered forward to one of the control panels and opened Kallen's cell. Kallen struggled against her binds which disallowed her escape. Lelouch merely chuckled and proceeded to walk inside the cell.

"You filthy traitor!" Kallen spat at Lelouch, resulting in a knife being drawn, hovering in front of her face. Kallen leaned back as the knife slowly continued its steady march.

"I'm going to overlook that rude comment." Lelouch sneered out the word 'rude'.

"In exchange for me sparing your life, I want information."

"Good luck with that, you traitorous bastard."

"Temper, temper." Lelouch chided her while he clicked his tongue. Kallen was becoming more and more irritated by the moment.

"Who sent you?" Lelouch flicked the knife toward her face again.

"That's none of your business..."

"Really? Do tell me, what is there to stop me from killing you right here, right now?"

"You really don't remember anything, do you?" Kallen seemed genuinely sympathetic this time. Lelouch merely snorted.

"I have no further use for you. Your execution will be held tomorrow at noon, 1200 hours. I wish it didn't have to be like this. I would have released you if you cooperated. Now, you'll just have to figure out how to escape by yourself."

Lelouch turned on his heel, dramatically flipping his cape behind him.

"Wait! Lelouch!"

The doors slid open then closed. Silence.

"Dammit!" Kallen cursed to herself rather loudly.

"Now you'll just have to figure out how to escape by yourself." Lelouch's last words echoed around in her mind.

Kallen paused.

"...escape..."

She looked down, and to her surprise, a knife was stuck into the side of the chair where she sat. It was the same knife Lelouch had threatened her with. Had he left it on purpose? How had it appeared there without her noticing?

Kallen decided to think about that later. Her first priority was escaping.

Reaching down with her hands still tied, she realized the knife was placed perfectly within her limited reach.

"There's no way he left it there on accident..."

Kallen grasped the knife and pulled it free of the chair. Cutting the ropes came next. Finally, Kallen was able to free herself from her bonds. Standing up, she rubbed her sore wrists before walking out the cell door.

"Commander, we have an unauthorized departure from fighter bay 2."

"Dammit! Bring a security team down to the detention block now! She's escaped!"

"Escaped...or been let loose?" Richard Grennich walked up to The Commander.

"Commander, detention cell guard house reports the video feed is fake. It's a looped recording, sir."

"Fools! Where are the guards who are supposed to watch her?"

"We found them on deck 45, sir."

"45? That's 20 decks down from the detention cell! Why did they leave?"

"We don't know!"

The Commander banged his fist on a control panel nearby. He looked up and strode over to the ship elevator.

"Grennich, you have the con."

"Yes, sir. Where are you going?"

"To see an old friend..."

The Commander disappeared down the elevator lift.

...

Lelouch pressed his thumb against the fingerprint sensor guarding his door.

"Ready to go, Lelouch?"

"I'm ready. Judging from the commotion, I assume she got out."

"I hope so. Hurry up! We need to leave."

"Would you like the quick exit or the longer exit?" A voice boomed from the doorway. Several soldiers walked into Lelouch's room, forming a line that blocked the doorway.

"Stand aside, we're going after Kallen." Lelouch ordered them to move.

"Oh, I'm sure you are. After you catch her, I suppose she will find another means of escape, no?"

"Step aside..." Lelouch growled under his breath.

"Ah, unfortunately you see, you have no authority here. You were never truly among us."

Lelouch's eyebrows drew together as he glared at The Commander.

"Once I heard that Kallen had escaped, I knew your memory had returned. Oh, it was inevitable really. You would've found out eventually.

"My plan involved bringing you and having you believe you had founded the Phoenixes. Once you were convinced, we would've had you wage war on the remnants of the Black Knights and Britannia. It's too bad you had to regain your memory so quickly though."

The Commander's eyes suddenly glowed red as Geass sigils appeared in his eyes. Lelouch backed away in horror.

"No..."

The Commander laughed manically.

"You think you're the only one who possesses this ancient power? HA! How foolish! How naive. And now, you will suffer!"

Lelouch screamed in pain as he felt a hole tear open through his chest. He looked down and saw that his entire front had already been soaked in red. His body grew numb and he felt as if ice had begun to spread from his wound. The only comfort from the ice was the warm rush of the blood spilling out of his chest. Lelouch dropped to his knees, clutching at his wound.

"No! Lelouch! What are you doing to him?!" C.C. rushed forward to catch Lelouch, who was beginning to fall backwards.

"Ha! I thought you would have known better. I too, possess the power of the Kings! My Geass has the power to reopen old wounds and injuries. Luckily for me, Lelouch still carries the scar from his assassination." The Commander began to walk toward them.

C.C. swiftly drew her pistol and held it against the Commander's forehead.

"We don't have time to play your little game. Let us go, and I promise I won't end your miserable pathetic life right here, right now. If I even think you're going to use your Geass on me, I'll shoot you. "

"Ah, refreshing. I'm glad your memory has returned as well. It would've been very hard for a dying man to explain these past few years in such a short span of time, wouldn't it?"

"Wrong answer."

A shot sounded, but it did not come from C.C.

With a cry, C.C. dropped beside Lelouch as her pistol clattered out of her hands onto the floor. A soldier on the far right had shot her squarely through her right shoulder.

The Commander walked over to Lelouch and placed his hand on Lelouch's bloody chest.

"Stop it! Get away from him!" C.C. angrily pushed and punched at the Commander's arms, trying to push his hands off of Lelouch. She was too injured for her resistance to have any effect.

"Lelouch vi Britannia! Hear me! I hereby take from you your Code of Immortality! You will no longer live like the invincible god you pretend to be. You will become mortal!"

The Commander's eyes seemed to be set ablaze as the Geass sigils in his eyes dissolved. His forehead faintly began to glow with the Geass sigil.

"No! Lelouch!"

C.C. pressed her hand to Lelouch's chest in efforts to stop the bleeding but to no avail. With his Code of Immortality gone, he could not heal from life-threatenning injuries like he once could. She looked into his dying eyes and realized his piercing violet irises were becoming ever more dull and cloudy. She fought back tears as she looked up at the Commander.

"Go to hell..." was the only thing she could manage through clenched teeth.

"From the state of things, Lelouch is going to beat me there." the Commander mocked.

"How about I give you a boost?"

C.C. lunged toward the TV remote sitting on the table and smashed her fist onto it, praying to hit the correct button. Miraculously, she did.

Suddenly the floor beneath Lelouch and C.C. opened like a trapdoor, dropping them directly onto the floor of his personal fighter jet, then closing behind them. C.C. scrambled into the pilot's seat before setting an autopilot course that would take them to their set rendezvous location, a remote island off the coast of Japan that had been declared a wildlife sanctuary left untouched by the war.

In Lelouch's quarters, a cover on the side of the thick plush sofa slid open, ejecting a turret into the middle of the room. The turret spun around in a circle and began its rapid-fire purge of the area, randomly scattering hundreds of .50 caliber rounds into every surface imaginable, including people.

Unable to react fast enough, the soldiers accompanying the Commander to Lelouch's quarters were all struck down by this random machine gun fire. The Commander himself was unprepared for this, taking dozens of rounds before falling to the floor. His dying chuckle was a reminder to himself that he could not die.

Lelouch's jet sped forward and crashed through the bay doors which had not had enough time to fully open. Set adrift by the massive turbulence from the sudden de-pressurization, C.C. wrestled with the controls with only her left hand, desperately trying to bring the aircraft under her control.

Warning lights flashed everywhere, signalling engine damage, engine fires, damaged rudders, damaged ailerons, and anything else there was an indicator light for.

C.C. pulled with all her might against the steering joystick, trying to slow down the plane's rapid descent.

"Warning. Fire in engines 1, 2, 4. Fuel low. Commencing emergency shutdown of engines 1, 2, 4. Rate of descent too high. Commencing emergency landing procedures. Landing gear engaged."

C.C. wiped the sweat forming on her brow with the back of her hand. She jumped down from the pilot's seat and knelt at Lelouch's side for perhaps the final time. Lelouch's face was already taking on the pale color of death, and this time, he would not return.

His eyes fluttered closed.

"No...You can't go! Not now! Lelouch! Wake up! I'm not losing you again! Listen to me! Wake up!"

C.C. was screaming at Lelouch, willing with all her might that he would wake. She wondered if this is how Nunnally felt as Lelouch was dying in her arms.

Their plane was descending much too fast at too sharp an angle for it to be considered a safe landing. At this speed, any small tree or boulder that got in their way would have flipped the plane back up into the air.

"Lelouch...I'm sorry I have to do this...Lelouch vi Britannia! I hereby give to you...my Code of Immortality!"

Lelouch mustered up what little strength he had.

"I'm glad...I could finally finish our contract...I just wish it didn't have to end so soon..."

"It doesn't have to...as soon as you heal, I'll take the curse back...deal?"

"Sounds fine to me." Lelouch chuckled. The effort he took in simply laughing caused him excruciating pain. Lelouch opened his eyes and looked up at C.C.

"C.C...take care..."

His eyes were overcome with a dull gleam. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth and his breathing stilled.

Tears were streaming down her face as she bent down to kiss Lelouch's forehead before climbing back up into the pilot's seat. She reached behind her for the seatbelt and strapped in, bracing for impact.

With a sickening crunch, their jet crashed nose-first into the unforgiving ground. C.C. was violently thrown forward but held back by the seatbelt. Another stop like that one and the seatbelt buckle would snap apart.

They slid for another 100 yards through masses of trees, shearing off the wings of the plane. The foot of a tall cliff loomed in front of the plane, but they did not slow down. She realized they were going too fast to stop and braced for impact. They were brought to an abrupt halt by the rock wall. The seatbelt buckle C.C. had depended upon so dearly had snapped. In a rain of glass, she was thrown through the windshield. She extended her arms to shield her head as she rolled off the nose of the plane onto the unforgiving ground. A warm fluid painted several streaks down one side of her head. She felt it and judging from the viscosity, it was blood. C.C. stared up just in time to see a shooting star blaze across the sky before she blacked out.

...


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** And, we're back! Chapter 10 is up! Finally. I took a break from this story for a bit to work on my new story, Code Geass: The Matrix Rebooted. Now that I've put that one down for a bit, I've picked this one back up. Sorry to keep ya'll waiting like this. Life is busy! I hope to update this one much sooner than I have been. See you later in Chapter 11!

...

Chapter 10

...

Lelouch's eyes opened slowly. Sunlight was already streaming through into the cockpit. He shut his eyes tighter and rolled over on his side. When he finally opened his eyes again, he saw that the windshield had been broken.

"Lelouch?"

"C.C.?" Lelouch sat up and looked around the cockpit. He was alone.

"Where are you?" he asked the emptiness.

"Outside." She did not sound like her normal cold self. Something was amiss. Lelouch began to walk outside the jet.

"We really need to start moving. The Dark Phoenixes will have already started sending search parties for us. What time is it, by the way? From the looks of the sun, I'd say..."

Lelouch stopped in his tracks as he took in the sight before him. C.C. lay on the ground face-up, blood pouring from a wound on the side of her head.

"C.C.!" Lelouch rushed to her side where he tore a strip of cloth from his shirt to use as a make-shift bandage. He sat down beside her and cradled her head in his lap.

"Hey...looks like you're doing a lot better."

"Yeah...thanks to you, I am."

"Do you think Pizza Hut delivers this far?"

"Ha, no. Why, are you afraid we might starve to death on this godforsaken island?" Lelouch asked sarcastically.

"Of course not. You'll go hunt for something to eat, right? You did the last time you were stranded on an island."

Lelouch was brought back to the time when he and Euphemia had been stranded on an island. His game traps had all miserably failed and instead, Euphemia had been the one to bring back sustenance in the form of various plant life, including berries. This time around, they were being chased by members of the Dark Phoenixes and one of them was injured. He certainly hoped they could survive.

"Lelouch?"

Lelouch was brought out of his thoughts.

"I think I can get up now."

"Huh? Oh. Right."

Lelouch looked down and realized C.C. was still laying in his lap. She looked up at him through confused, and slightly embarrassed eyes.

Lelouch got up first, brushing the dust off of his clothes. He bent down and offered a hand to C.C. to help her up.

"Ah, shit!"

C.C. collapsed back to the floor, clutching her leg.

"What's wrong?" Lelouch dropped beside her.

"I think...it's broken."

"Where?"

"I think...it's my ankle."

"Is it a sprain? If it's a sprain, it'll be much easier to heal than a break. Now if my memory serves useful, if it's a sprain, then...uh..."

"Don't you remember anything from your biology classes? Oh wait. You skipped school to go gamble with the nobles. How could I forget." C.C. was beginning to sound like her old disapproving self.

"Shut it. I'm trying to help you here."

"Well that's new."

"Just wait here. I'll get something."

Lelouch walked back inside the jet, searching for a crutch or some medical supplies, all the while muttering something about how much trouble she was giving him. Meanwhile, C.C. had managed to push herself backwards using her her good leg and propped herself up against the wreckage of the jet.

She looked up at the sky and realized the sun was hovering right over them. It was noon, and they were still stranded on this remote island with no food or water. At least they could take shelter in the wreckage of the jet for now. They couldn't stay there too long though, since they didn't know when the search parties would find them.

Should they try to be captured to at least escape the island? And if they were found, what then? They would most likely be placed under much heavier security. They would definitely take extra precautions as to not allow Lelouch to use his Geass.

C.C. shuddered when she thought of the grotesque possibilities their captors could take to ensure Lelouch did not open his eyes to activate his Geass. A blindfold would be the most pain-free, but since when were prisoners treated with such consideration?

"I think I found something!" Lelouch hurried outside where he produced a small box of medical equipment. Among the items were gauzes, strips of bandages, and various disinfectants. However, he did not produce a crutch from the salvage.

"I think these are painkillers." Lelouch dug through the box and pulled out a bottle of pills. He tossed the bottle to C.C. who poured out a couple of pills.

"Got any water?"

"Yeah, and Pizza Hut is just down the street." Lelouch sarcastically gestured over his shoulder while C.C. rolled her eyes.

"Does it look-" Lelouch paused for effect, "-like I have any water?"

"Does it look-" C.C. imitated Lelouch, "-like you have a broken leg?"

Lelouch just shook his head and turned his back to her, busying himself with sorting the first aid kit he rifled through.

She winced as the pills went down, as she had no water.

"A gentleman would carry me to safety."

Lelouch just blinked at her.

"The ground is really hard and uncomfortable."

Lelouch raised his eyebrow.

"Why doesn't Pizza Hut deliver here?"

Lelouch raised his other eyebrow.

"I'm getting-"

"For crying out loud, what is the matter with you? Here, let's get you inside."

With one arm behind her shoulders and the other under her knees, Lelouch attempted to scoop her up in his arms princess-style. However, Prince Charming was somewhat lacking in the upper-body muscular department, and he found himself huffing and puffing. At this point, blowing down a house with his breath seemed easier.

"Use your legs."

"I'm. Trying. Okay?" Lelouch straightened out his back and pushed downward with his legs and found he was barely able to carry C.C. However, she wasn't too sure of that, and she wrapped her arms around his neck for support.

"How much...pizza...did you...eat...before we...left?" Lelouch sputtered.

"None at all. How much did you eat? Seems like you need to get back into shape. Not that you were ever in shape..."

"Quiet, C.C. Not everyone is graced with eternal beauty and slim form like you, okay? Here..."

Lelouch gently lowered her onto a makeshift mat, made from the cushions of the pilot's seat which had been destroyed in the crash.

"Eternal beauty and slim form, eh? Is that what you see?" C.C. smirked.

Lelouch simply rolled his eyes. Intent upon finding firewood, he walked to the huge gash in the plane that served them as a temporary entrance and exit. He stopped short of the exit.

"Why did you give me your code?"

It was her turn to be confused.

"To keep you alive, of course."

"No...no, you gave me your code for another reason..."

Lelouch had turned around and swiftly approached C.C. She shifted on her mat to look at Lelouch.

"You knew that without your Code, you no longer possessed immortality. With your Geass gone from having your Code in the first place, you now have no Geass and no Code."

"Lelouch, I-"

He stepped over her words. "Without a Geass, it would be impossible for you to develop a fully evolved Geass because you don't possess one at all, correct?"

"Yes, of course, but-"

"And without a fully evolved Geass, how can you expect to take the Code back? You can't! It's impossible!"

"Lelouch-"

"You knew that! That's why you gave it to me! You still want to die!"

"That's not true! I...I-"

"Then why did you abandon me with a Code with no way of passing it back to you? Is it still your wish to die? Is it?!"

"LELOUCH!"

Lelouch jumped back, stunned by C.C.'s outburst and at his own. What had just come over him, he did not know or understand.

She spoke in a much lower but far more menacing tone and glared at him.

"Lelouch vi Britannia...I did not fight through 10 layers of hell to bring you back to life and then listen to you accuse me of saving it for my own selfish reasons! You play chess, right? So think hard before you make your next move. I saved your life at the cost of my own. Twice. You have your memory back, so go on, tell me. Do you really believe that my wish is to die?"

Lelouch remained silent.

"No, Lelouch. My wish is not death and you know damn well what it really is!"

Lelouch took a deep breath and held it for 10 seconds. Apparently this was supposed to calm your nerves or something to that effect.

"I'm going to get us some firewood. I found us an emergency ration packet from over there. You can have it while I go looking around." He pronounced each word slowly and meticulously, as if speaking to a foreigner.

He turned and left for the exit.

"Lelouch." He stopped and breathed deeply again.

"What is it?" He turned around.

WHAM.

With a crunch, Lelouch spun around then crumpled to the floor in a heap. C.C. stood over him shaking out her wrist.

"It's a good thing you're immortal now, huh?"

...

"Doesn't he remember..."

C.C. limped through the forest, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and the crash site.

"How could he..."

C.C. fought back tears not only from the pain of her ankle, but from Lelouch's words.

"He knew what my wish was...he still knows..."

She sniffled as she paused to lean against a tree. Exhausted, she slumped down against the trunk. Without her Code, her metabolism operated at a much slower pace than what she was used to. She got tired much faster, and her already abnormally large appetite for pizza grew even worse.

"So this is what it feels like to have the fitness level of Lelouch." She scoffed to herself.

She looked up at the sun. Judging from its angle above the horizon, she had about 3 hours before sundown. She had been running for about 4 hours since her little spat with Lelouch. All she cared about was running as far away as possible. She convinced herself that she was acting logically; if one was caught, the other wouldn't be found. In reality, this made no sense but she forced herself to believe it anyway.

She gritted her teeth as she tried to rise to her feet. Her ankle wasn't healing like it usually would and for once in her life, she felt vulnerable and exposed. She was finally presented what used to be her lifelong wish: the opportunity to die. But now, her wish had changed. She realized the former wish was childish and was not what she truly wanted. After she met Lelouch, she began to wish for something else.

Her efforts to get up were in vain. She slumped back down and closed her eyes trying to think. She opened her eyes about 2 hours later.

"Dammit! Always oversleeping..."

She quickly got to her feet and nearly fell back down in pain, not before grabbing hold of the tree. She had completely forgotten about her broken ankle and her lack of superhuman healing rates. Well, at least she was up now.

...

_"You have to prevail over your own past and the outcome of your own actions..."_

C.C. got up and turned around in the cockpit of the Gawain to startle Lelouch with a passionate kiss on the lips.

_"He musn't die!"_

Suddenly a gunshot sounded and C.C. pulled away from the kiss, falling backwards with the unmistakable mark of a bullet in her forehead. She was wearing the same white straitjacket Lelouch first saw her in.

"No! C.C.!"

_"Very good!"_

"What?"

_"You came up with 14 possibilities for my identity, one of which is absolutely correct!"_

"Mao! What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be-"

_"Dead! Like you, right? Whee hee-hee, isn't the afterlife wonderful?"_

Many more gunshots exploded and Lelouch could only watch in horror as C.C. writhed on the ground of the park as Mao stood above her with a pistol in hand. Mao was laughing hysterically when he brought out a chainsaw which he revved up with glee.

"Mao! You sick bastard!"

Lelouch tried to run over to Mao but his limbs seemed to be wading through frozen molasses.

Suddenly he was no longer at the park, but was facing Suzaku's Lancelot. He was not in his Knightmare, but standing out in the open, well within operating range of the Lancelot's cannons. C.C. walked up to the Lancelot and placed a hand on it. Suzaku went mad and the Lancelot began firing everywhere.

_"Lelouch! What are you doing? Get out of here! Ah!"_

"C.C.!"

A large piece of shrapnel burst through C.C.'s chest, blood spilling everywhere immediately.

_"I'm the only one who knows you. The real you."_

Another gunshot. More blood.

_"Lelouch...!"_ She fell off of her Knightmare sideways.

The scene changed.

_"Is this how you do it, Lelouch? Is that your secret? For the good of the world, right?"_

Lelouch watched as a firing squad approached C.C., who was securely fastened to a pole.

_"See you on the other side, Lelouch..."_ C.C. looked over at Lelouch, who was standing next to her, also secured to a pole.

Lelouch looked down at himself and realized that he too was facing a firing squad.

"Fire!"

Lelouch could only watch the muzzle flashes of the soldiers in front of him and C.C. The flash grew brighter until he saw C.C. standing up, aiming a pistol at Lelouch.

"No, C.C.! What are you doing?"

_"Goodbye, Lelouch. My wish is to die, isn't it?"_

"No wait! That's not your true-"

_"I'll be watching you in the afterlife."_

C.C. turned the pistol on herself and fired, a splash of blood landing on Lelouch's face.

"GAH! Lelouch bolted upright in the makeshift bed. A small fire surrounded by stones flickered in the corner of the plane. Lelouch rubbed his eyes awake. The same vision kept returning to him even when he was fully awake.

_"My wish is to die, isn't it?"_

Another gunshot sounded in his mind. It seemed so real to him that he ducked down for fear of being hit by the ricochet.

"Get...out...of...my...head!" Lelouch was squinting furiously in attempt to block out the image of C.C. killing herself.

He bit down on his tongue hard, trying to wake himself up more than he already was. He looked around for some water to splash his face with, but found none. He tasted blood from his tongue.

"Goddamn...witch magic! Stop messing...with my mind!"

Lelouch realized that all the visions he had were of C.C. sacrificing herself for him. He was now having a conscience attack for getting angry with her. After all, she had saved his life more times than he cared to admit. Why was this time any different that he should be so ungrateful?

_I should say something to her, or at least find her now. But it's dark! No...who cares that it's dark? C.C. would do the same for me if I was in her position. She didn't wait for it to become convenient to save my life. She saved it over and over and over, regardless of the circumstances and who I am. She deserves the same._

After rigging together a crutch from the scrap metal, Lelouch packed various items along with the medical box. It was time to go find his witch.

...


	11. Chapter 11

...

A/N: This will be the last chapter of Part 1 in my series! Yes, Part 1 implies that there will be at least a Part 2, so I haven't abandoned the story. I just felt that I needed a new container for my story. Happy reading!

Chapter 11

...

The crunching of leaves and branches under Lelouch's feet was loud enough to wake the dead in the silence of night. Aside from the occasional hooting of an owl or the high-pitch chirping of a cricket, the air was silent.

Lelouch panted for breath, clumsily putting one aching foot in front of the other while running through this treacherous jungle. All thought of rest was brushed aside by his determination to find C.C. and make amends.

He paused not to catch his breath, but to scan the dark horizon for any signs of light or smoke. Finding none, he continued down the trail. A rock seemed to appear out of nowhere. He tumbled headlong into the dust.

"Oof!" He looked up to stare at the tree trunk inches from his face. Never mind his immortality. That would have hurt quite badly if he had continued his slide. Something on the trunk caught his eye.

Barely catching the light of the moon was a long length of what appeared to be a spider web. Lelouch crinkled his nose, never having had any particular fondness of the species. He swatted it away from his face, but paused when his hand touched it. It did not stick to his hand, nor did it have the same elasticity expected of spider webs.

Holding the strand up to the moon, Lelouch could have sworn the strand bore the faintest shade of green.

"C.C.! She was here!" In truth, Lelouch wasn't even sure if she had passed by this route, but he held onto this piece of newfound evidence like a drowning man to a life preserver.

...

"This is unacceptable, soldier."

The Commander paced up and down his office.

"I want them found! Not tomorrow, not after breakfast, now!"

"Yes sir, but we have sent many teams in already! The island is a wildlife preserve and we can't just send our entire army in, otherwise it will look like an invasion!"

"And you suppose a smoking plane falling out of the sky into a cliff is natural, correct? Nothing wrong about a heap of metal crashing down in the middle of your damned wildlife preserve! Listen closely."

The soldier gulped audibly as The Commander bent in close.

"If we lose sight of Lelouch now, I will personally go down there, find him myself, give him a scalpel, bring him back up here, make him castrate you, bring him back down to the island, let him free, then send you on his trail again. Do I make myself clear."

"Yes, sir! Very clear, sir!" The man's voice cracked as he saluted and ran out of The Commander's office.

...

A bead of water collected collected on a stalactite. The cool night air drafted into the cave, barely disturbing the surface of the lake. The bead of water slowly made its way down from the top of the stalactite to the bottom tip, where it came to rest.

Another water drop formed at the top of the stalactite. Another breeze and the bead slowly fell to the tip of the stalactite. It joined with the first water droplet, creating an even heavier droplet. It stretched slowly but steadily. When it could take no more deformation, it broke from the stalactite where it fell into the lake below. It created the smallest splash and the surface of the lake rippled with the movements of the water drop. C.C. turned in her sleep.

"It's been a long time since you were called by that name, hasn't it?"

C.C.'s eyes suddenly shot open as she heard the voice.

Another water drop fell into the shimmering lake.

"Lelouch?"

"Who else?"

A tall figure stood against the entrance of the cave, the moon shining behind him, silhouetting his figure.

"Lelouch!" C.C. slowly got to her feet, supporting her weight on her good leg. Lelouch simply stood at the entrance, but she could have sworn she saw the smallest hint of remorse flash across his features as he watched her struggle to walk to him. Just like the word "running" and "excercise", the word "remorse" wasn't often found in Lelouch's vocabulary. There were rare exceptions however, when it came to Euphemia's tragic death, Rolo's murder of Shirley, and his use of Geass on Nunnally.

"Have you come to mock me Lelouch?"

"No...I have come to tell you I am sorry. I know what your true wish is. I can't do this without you, and I am truly sorry for what I have done."

C.C. limped to Lelouch's figure and forgave him with an embrace, but was surprised to find that her arms passed right through him.

"What the-" C.C. stumbled forward into Lelouch's disappearing body and began to fall. The ground did not stop her, however, and she continued to fall.

Suddenly she jolted awake. The cave was empty. It was day.

...

Lelouch had run throughout the entire night. He had tried to follow any possible trails that C.C. may have left behind, but he was never much of a tracker so he could have been going in the opposite direction the entire time.

By morning, he was exhausted. He had run for 6 hours straight, which was unprecedented for someone of Lelouch's build, or lack thereof. Was it the thought of losing his witch that drove him? Or was it the effects of the Code healing his body from fatigue? Both? In any and all cases, C.C. was the cause of his newfound endurance.

Lelouch came across a sandy patch in the road. He could see a set of footprints someone had left behind, not long ago. One foot print made a firm, sharp imprint in the ground, sinking deep into the sand. The other foot print however, was much more shallow and indistinct, as if someone was had not let much pressure on that foot...as if someone was limping...

It had to be her.

With renewed resolve, Lelouch ran down the trail where he had found the foot prints. After a short amount of running, Lelouch could see a large cave.

"A cave! She must be in there! She wouldn't stop until she had either found or made shelter."

Lelouch dashed inside the cave and looked around. No sounds came from the cave, except for the hiss of wind echoing about the cavern walls. A water drop fell from the ceiling, producing a small splash.

In the corner of the cave lay his sleeping witch.

Lelouch took a deep breath before slowly walking over to her sleeping figure. She was lying on her side, facing the opposite wall of the cave. Her shoulders moved in time with her breath as she slept.

"Have you come to mock me, Lelouch?"

Lelouch stopped in his tracks. He was certain she was sleeping...

"It's your stride."

"What?"

"Your stride. You know, the way you walk. There's a certain arrogance to your stride that's very distinct. That's how I knew it was you." C.C. sat up and stretched from her sleep.

"Arrogance? How do I walk...arrogance—arrogantly?" He corrected himself. She shrugged.

"You just do."

"Oh."

"Is there something you would like to share with the class, Lelouch? You look like you're thinking about something. Or someone." She stared at him with a glint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Well...I um..." Lelouch inhaled deeply. Here goes...

"I'm sorry."

C.C. raised her eyebrows then leaned back against the wall of the cave.

"Well that wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

...

The fire in the center of the cave was the only source of light and heat the pair had. Lelouch absent-mindedly poked the fire with a branch, sending sparks into the air. The embers glowed in the darkness of the cave.

"Glad to see you making a quick recovery." Lelouch remarked.

"Glad to see...you." C.C. replied. "I'm sorry I ran away like that."

"Don't apologize for that. It was my fault to begin with."

"I haven't apologized for punching you, though." C.C. said softly.

"Well...I forg-"

"I never said I was sorry." She grinned smugly. Lelouch snorted.

...

"Come on, Lelouch!" C.C. was tugging at his sleeve like a child begging his mother for a new toy.

"Absolutely not. You go."

"Lelouch...you know I can't walk!"

"Well I see that your inability to walk has in no way hindered your ability to bother me to no end." He scoffed.

"Fine then. Let's see how you like rooming with a witch who hasn't bathed for days."

Lelouch weighed his options. His options were to shower with C.C. or have them both stay in the cave. Yes, with C.C. As in together. Why on earth she would suggest something like that was beyond him. It must be the plane crash doing funny things to her head.

"Fine."

"Good answer! I'm using your shirt as a towel, by the way."

"What? No!"

"Unless you can procure an actual towel, I suggest you start acting like a proper gentleman and lend me your shirt. Unless you would like to give up your pants, of course. Completely up to you."

Lelouch rolled his eyes heavenward and grumbled. "Of all the people to crash-land and get hitched with, it had to be you."

"Hitched?"

"Whoa. I meant stuck. Stranded. Hitched? I didn't say hitched."

"Well would you want it any other way?" C.C. smirked her trademark smirk that always seemed to irk Lelouch. He let out a sigh.

"That was a rhetorical question, right?" Lelouch asked with annoyance.

"No, that was not rhetorical, Lelouch."

"Let's go..." Lelouch began walking out of the cave, hands in pockets and head hung low. C.C. jumped on one leg behind him.

"Hey, Lelouch! The point of bringing you along was so that you could help me walk! Lelouch! Get back here! Oh, so now you want to go up to the waterfall! Very gentlemanly." C.C. mumbled as she hobbled after Lelouch, who was now seemingly eager to reach the waterfall.

Lelouch was the first to reach the waterfall. It really would have been a beautiful sight, were they not being chased by terrorists. Water spouted from a tall precipice and cascaded down the side of the rock face. The rock face smoothed out into a gradual slope to form a platform that the water would run off of. Underneath this slab of rock was a large lagoon.

C.C. puffed as she finally emerged at the top of the hill. "I can't believe you once led armies. Who would want to be led into battle by a scrawny teenager who can't even take proper care of his woman?"

"Witch."

"What are you talking about? You're the witch, now."

"Whatever."

"Put...your shirt...by that rock...over there...so I can get it...once I come out. Okay?" C.C. paused in between the removal of each article of clothing she wore. She tossed it all in a bundle at Lelouch, who yelped as he realized she had no clothes.

"Jesus! Put some clothes on!"

C.C. stopped walking to the lagoon and looked over her shoulder. Lelouch gulped and tried to keep his eyes focused only on her face as the entire length of her bare back was turned to him.

"Did it ever occur to you that I'm going to take a bath? Who showers with clothes on?"

"Uh...modest people!"

"Modest people? Really, Lelouch! Do you have any idea how weird you sound?"

"Do you have any idea how weird you look?" He countered. Oops. Bad move.

"Oh, so you don't like...this?" She quickly turned around to face him. Lelouch fell backwards off the rock he sat on. She shook her head.

"Boys..." She dove into the water, hardly making a splash. A shirt suddenly flew into the sky and landed on the rock C.C. specified.

...

They both sat in front of the fire, which was their only source of heat. Lelouch's shirt was hung on a branch in front of the fire, drying. Instead, he wore only his jacket. C.C. rested her head on his shoulder, even though it wasn't much of a cushion, considering his lack of muscle, or body mass in general. Maybe he should be the one to start eating pizzas.

"Do you think Kallen made it out?" C.C. looked at Lelouch.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she did. She's the best pilot I know."

"The best, hm? You act like you forgot what happened in the Gawain when we fought Orange in the Giga Fortress before you confronted Suzaku. I think that earns me some points" She smirked suggestively.

"Hm...yes, what did happen in the Gawain? That was so long ago, I might have forgotten!" Lelouch said in mock forgetfulness. C.C. prodded him in the side.

"Fine! You can have my award for 'Fastest Pizza Eater in all Britannia'. Hey! Ow!" Lelouch squirmed as C.C. continued mercilessly poking him in the sides.

It was good to be back.

...

"Damn...I never liked jumps. Parachutes always break in the movies."

The Private was a mere teenager, freshly inducted into the terrorist group. His aptitude tests granted him a quick first promotion. Another soldier looked back at him while puffing on a cigarette. He, on the other hand, was a Staff Sergeant who looked about 30.

"Eh, you'll get used to it."

"Mn." The private was not convinced.

"Hey, loosen up! It's not like you're being shot at, anyway. You're lucky there isn't a load of anti-air fire pissing in your face. That shit's real' fun to deal with." The Sergeant scoffed and took another drag of his cigarette.

"Don't listen to him. You know how many times he was on air-drop duty before?" The leader of their group asked. He was a Master Sergeant.

The Private shook his head. "How many?"

"One."

"Hey, come on! I've been in my fair share! I have gone through some tough shit!" The smoking soldier spread out his arms and looked around, as if looking for support from his comrades.

"Please. Your idea of tough is going to bed with a woman who doesn't know you have prematu-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Nuh-uh! You do not go there! That is one hell of a low blow!"

"That's not the only thing that's low..."

The Master Sergeant's joke struck a chord with the other soldiers, and the back of the transport was filled with hoots and laughter.

"Naw guys, I've seen him in lots of fights before." Another soldier vouched for him. He leaned in to the rest of the group and spoke in a low voice. "Only problem is he always has to pull out after 30 seconds." The men roared with laughter at their fellow soldier's double-meaning jab. The Staff Sergeant threw up his hands in surrender and shook his head. Applause echoed off the walls of the cramped cabin. The Private merely grinned, not sure what to think of the chaos he just caused.

"Will you sick fucks shut up? God...!" The copilot yelled from the front of the plane. The pilot pressed a headset to his ear and adjusted his microphone.

"This is T-1, coding in. In position and awaiting orders, over."

"T-1, this is Command, code in acknowledged. Begin air-drop on my mark. Three, two, one, mark."

"Copy that. Air-drop initiated."

"You heard, let's go!"

The soldiers in the cabin stood up all at once as the bay doors opened. One by one, the soldiers jumped out of Transport-1 and waited for the optimal height at which they would begin releasing parachutes.

"You'll be fine, kid. Trust me." The Master Sergeant slapped him on the back as if physically imparting confidence onto him. He took a deep breath and jumped.

After a short while, the ground team radioed in.

"Command, this is D-4."

"Go ahead, D-4."

"Command, we've seemed to have spotted what appears to be a wreckage. Permission to investigate, over."

"D-4, you have permission to investigate. Are you reading any life signs?"

"Negative, Command."

"Alright then, keep us posted, D-4."

...

"No...no...no!" C.C. screamed as she woke and sleep-elbowed Lelouch in the face.

"OW! Goddamnit! What the hell? Ah..."

"Oh...I'm sorry...did I hit you, Lelouch?" C.C. sat up and observed with fascination as a formerly-sleeping Lelouch pinched the bridge of his nose that was oozing blood and slowly sat up. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Did you hit me? No, of course not. I just spontaneously bleed in the middle of my sleep because I feel like it." His sarcasm came out high-pitched and nasally as a result of him pinching his nose.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. What were you dreaming about? Nightmare?"

"N-n-no..."

"So you punched me in the face on purpose?"

"No! I mean, I was sleeping, yeah."

"So nightmare then? What about?"

"I don't remember now..."

"Ah." He sniffed up the blood that was slowly dripping out of his nose.

"Was it about Code-R?"

Lelouch was venturing out on dangerous waters and he didn't have a lifeboat. C.C. had never particularly enjoyed discussing her experiences in the research facility. The numerous tests performed on her effectively traumatized her for the rest of her immortal life.

Usually, whenever Lelouch asked about Code-R, he would either get no answer, or a change in the subject. He took this as his cue to not mention it again for a good while. In the rare event that they did discuss her experiences, she would often keep her descriptions vague and undetailed to prevent herself and Lelouch from feeling sick.

This time he actually got an answer, in the form of a nod.

"I don't remember what it was about, though. I just remember being dragged out of my cell for transport."

Lelouch simply nodded. She was already telling him much more than she would normally allow, and he did not wish to overstep his boundaries by asking more questions.

"I'm...going back to bed now." C.C. turned over on her side and closed her eyes.

...

5 Years Earlier

Code-R Laboratories

...

"Heart rate accelerating, sir. 30 BPM and rising."

"As expected. How fascinating..."

"Heart rate is still accelerating at an incredible pace. 132BPM and rising still. It seems the cardiac-revival serum works."

"Yes, it does indeed...terminate the experiment. That's enough for now."

"Lethal injection sequence alpha-one initiating."

The girl strapped down to the rusted operating table twitched momentarily then stilled. The nurse looked at the monitor to read a chart of data.

"0 BPM, BWF at -21. She's done. We can begin testing once I get the serum out of her system."

"Hm...I wonder. When do you think we can have this battle-ready?"

"I'd say within the next week, if we work efficiently. By the end of the month at the worst."

"Splendid! Have your team begin outfitting every medical carrier with containers of these serums."

"Yes, sir!"

The nurse collected her laptop and left hurriedly. Another group put the lifeless body onto a stretcher where it would be taken back to another experiment room.

This place, known only as Asylum, was the home of the Code-R research division, commissioned by the Emperor of Britannia himself. Its one goal, to explore the nature of Geass and the Code, led it to capture several members, current and former, of the Geass Order.

Finding a subject with Geass was rare. Finding a subject with a Code was extraordinary. Finding one with both was extraordinarily rare, and damn near impossible to capture.

Those captured for the study and experimentation surrounding Geass or the Code had two choices: join the Britannian military and slaughter millions of innocent lives, or be released. Except those who were 'released' generally were never heard from again...

A gunshot preceded a shrill but muffled scream that echoed throughout the halls of the Asylum.

"Dammit, that one didn't work."

"Potassium-sodium channel readings are spiking off the charts! She feels it, all right."

"Thank you, detective, I figured that out myself from the screaming. Increase dosage."

"Ready!"

The rifleman spat out another bullet that collided squarely with the girl's shoulder.

The girl screamed from the pain even louder. The newest project, an pain-neutralizing serum, was intended to prevent soldiers from feeling anything if they were injured. In effect, they were trying to raise an army of numbed super soldiers who felt no pain. It wasn't working.

"Oh, for God's sakes, stop your screaming!" The doctor drew his sidearm and put a bullet straight between the eyes of the girl. She slumped against her restraints, blood dripping down in a puddle between her feet. All went quiet in the room.

A loud sigh escaped the doctor's lips. "All right, you lot! Clean it up."

A clean-up crew scrambled to undo the girl's restraints and put her back on the stretcher for transport. Another man nervously grabbed a nearby mop and began washing away the blood.

"Just...just leave it..."

"Sir?" The man looked up from his mop.

"You heard. This place is already filthy. Another spot wouldn't hurt."

"Uh...yes, sir!"

C.C. lay back on her cot, staring at the ceiling. It was nighttime, and they didn't conduct experiments at night. Even the doctors, as inhumane as they were, were still human in form, and as such, needed rest.

She couldn't sleep. Dying multiple times a day really screws up your sleep cycle. She couldn't tell when she was actually supposed to sleep or wake up anymore. In the Asylum, death had become a regular part of her routine. After a while, it was merely something you just did. Just like you brush your teeth in the morning, wash your face after you wake up, death was just another part of the daily schedule. It even got to a point where it was so embedded in her life, death became boring.

"Code extraction process begin!"

She realized she was strapped to yet another machine. She hadn't even noticed when she had been moved from her cell to the experiment room.

"Hold on, there's something wrong with the initiation sequence!"

"Grr...what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry, sir! I don't know what happened!"

"Did the injection phase already begin?"

"Yes, it did."

"Dammit! We have to restart everything now. Initialize lethal injection sequence alpha-one."

"Alpha-one initialized. Lethal injection sequence activated."

Her body burned from the injection that was slowly killing her. Her vision blurred and she felt light-headed. A high-pitched ringing filled her ears and her consciousness faded away.

...

The fire had stopped providing heat shortly before daybreak. Only cold fragments of wood and smoky dust remained. The sun slowly rose, casting an orange glow upon everything in its gaze. Lelouch, being the prompt early-bird he was, woke first. He began to sit up when he realized his arm was unable to move. C.C. was still sleeping on it.

"Hey, we should get going."

"Mn?" C.C. turned over in her sleep, hair splayed all over Lelouch's body. He made quite the mattress, despite his appearance.

"We need to go home, you know. I'm actually a person, not a mattress."

"Well technically, you're not really a person anymore. Now it's my turn to call you a witch!"

"I'm a guy! So the correct term would be warlock, thank you very much."

"Fine then, witch." She sneered. Lelouch shook his head, as per usual whenever C.C. acted this way.

"Come on. This is a wildlife preserve, right? Maybe we can find some other tourists here."

Their trek into the brought them halfway across a clearing when they heard the noise. It was a strange noise that seemed to drone on and on. C.C. looked above the treetops surrounding the clearing and her fears were confirmed. Not far from the cave approached half a dozen helicopters that were filled to capacity with soldiers.

"Lelouch...look..."

"Oh no..."

A fleet of helicopters and planes soared overhead. From the planes, white parachutes billowed out underneath. From the helicopters, rappel cords lowered and soldiers slid down. From where they stood out in the open, the fleet looked like an entire army.

"They found us...hurry! We have to go!"

He bolted in the other direction of the soldiers but C.C. took one step and immediately fell. Lelouch turned around and was horrified when he saw her lying on the ground. He ran to her side.

"I thought it finally healed!" Lelouch lifted C.C. up and draped one of her arms around his shoulders for support.

"I thought it healed too!"

"Rgh! Come on..."

"Go on! Leave me! I'll only slow you down."

"No! Are you crazy? I can't do that!"

C.C. looked at the group of soldiers approaching. They weren't close to their position, but they were sitting ducks now.

"I have an idea. I'm going to buy you some time."

"How?"

"By surrendering myself to them."

"What...no! What good will that do?"

"Simple. It gives you time."

"How does that work?"

"Think, Lelouch. Put the only muscle you use to work." C.C. gestured by tapping her index and middle fingers to her temple.

"You were always the better tactician, but I think my plan is quite ingenious, if I do say so myself."

She continued. "I'll surrender to the soldiers while you run on ahead. I'll tell them that you died in the crash. They'll be forced to look through the wreckage again and that will give you time to run."

C.C. could see the gears grinding in Lelouch's genius mind. "You see now?"

"But C.C...why?"

"Once they find out you're immortal, there's nothing they won't do to you. There is no experiment they won't perform, no test they won't attempt...there will be no end to your suffering. You'll be their little guinea pig, nothing more than a lab rat. Trust me, I've been there. I have died by the hands of science more times than I care to remember, Lelouch. I don't want you to feel that."

"Then let's run! We can escape! You don't have to sacrifice yourself! Come on..." Lelouch bent down again and began to carry C.C, but she shook her head.

"There's too many. Their visors block out the powers of your Geass. You won't be able to fight them. There isn't a way out of this one."

"There's always a way out! We just have to find it!"

"You'll go faster alone."

The soldiers were slowly sweeping the area, steadily marching up the path that led to the cave.

"I'll sacrifice myself! I'm the immortal one, now!"

"Haven't I told you? They will do terrible things to you, and I can't stand the thought of you suffering so much pain for me."

"No...this can't be how it ends! I refuse to accept this fate!"

"We've had a good run, Lelouch. But my time has long been overdue."

"Wait! We can escape! Come on, C.C., don't give up like this! I'll reveal myself and once they're gone, you can escape!"

"It's for your own good. I'm sorry it had to end like this."

"C.C...please..."

"You can't follow me, Lelouch! I'm ready for this."

"I'm not!" He choked out. Tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Don't worry about me. I'll find a way out, okay? Promise you won't follow me."

"I can't do that!"

"You have to!"

Lelouch swallowed hard but was unable to suppress the large lump that had formed in his throat.

"Promise me this one last thing."

"I...promise."

"I have to be sure...I'm sorry about this."

She captured Lelouch's lips in her own with a final kiss. C.C. pulled away for the slightest fraction of an inch to speak.

"Lelouch...I love you."

She pulled the trigger.

Lelouch's eyes shot open, mouth slightly agape. He was so consumed by his suffering he didn't notice the pistol digging into his chest. An empty shell casing embedded itself in the grass below where it came to a stop.

The image of C.C. standing before him holding a pistol blurred and he collapsed motionless to the floor.

The soldiers were still at the bottom of the hill.

Try as he did, but Lelouch couldn't even scream. The bullet had traveled through his heart where it lodged in his spine. His newly-induced paralysis made even the slightest movements impossible. He could barely even breathe.

"Hey! I'm over here!" He wished he could say.

"Take me instead!" He wished he could say.

"I love you..." He wished he could say.

But he couldn't.

His unresponsive legs hung uselessly as C.C. dragged his body behind a pile of rocks. A small opening in the rock formation allowed him to watch her capture unfold.

"There she is!"

The soldiers quickly surrounded her. C.C. dropped the gun without any resistance.

"Where's Lelouch?"

"He didn't make it. He was gone before we crashed."

"This is D-4 to Command, we captured the girl but she claims Lelouch is dead."

"Good work, D-4. Have D-1 look through the crash site again, this time look for his body."

"Copy that, Command."

As her hands were placed behind her back to be cuffed, she looked back at the pile of rocks, where she had left Lelouch.

She met his gaze from across the clearing.

In a final attempt of desperation, Lelouch activated his Geass. He knew it was always active, but his special contact lenses prevented any accidental uses of his Geass. It also prevented him from issuing orders if he was unable to remove his contacts.

He willed with all his mind and strength that somehow, his Geass command would reach her. By his sheer willpower, the Geass symbols grew brighter and brighter behind his contact lenses, blazing with an intensity rivaling that of the sun.

Defying the very laws of physics, the impossible happened.

His eyes stung slightly. Whether or not it was from tears, he could not tell. Gradually, the stinging grew more painful.

Suddenly, His eyes screamed in agony as his contacts burned and literally melted away, but he maintained steady eye contact with C.C. He fought through the tears that streamed out of his protesting eyes as the disintegrating plastic further irritated them.

The twin Geass sigils slowly surfaced and shone through the melted contacts, replacing his normally violet eyes.

In a barely audible whisper, he summoned all of his remaining strength and willpower to deliver one word, one last command that had already proven itself to work.

"Live..."

Did it work? He didn't know.

With one last glance, she turned as she was escorted to a helicopter. Her flowing green hair was the last thing he saw before his mind clouded over.

A sudden realization came to him: while his Geass command to 'live' worked on Suzaku, it did not work on Shirley. He prayed with all his might it would work on C.C.

His Geass flickered in his bloodshot eyes before it shut off completely.

_I will come back for you...I swear it!_

...

**End of Part 1**

...

A/N: What?! Lelouch's Geass can overcome his contacts if he tries hard enough? Yes. Because love is all about beating the odds, right?

Thank you, to all who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited my first ever fanfiction! I wasn't sure how well my first run would go, but I have received a lot of support from you guys, and I thank you for it. This is probably way too cliché, but I really couldn't have done this story without your support. I hope you stay with this series and read my Part 2 of the storyline. This is Andrew A. Anderson, signing off. Till next time!

...


	12. Preview! AA2: Witch Hunt

...

**A/N:** Sneak peek at Amnesiacs Anonymous 2: Witch Hunt! To my loyal readers out there, this one's for you!

...

Chapter 1

...

A sharp pricking sensation in his eyes woke Lelouch from his slumber. Quite literally, he was dead-asleep. He reached up and pulled out the melted contacts from his eyes. His eyes watered, as they did not come off with as much ease as they used to. He cast them aside and rubbed his eyes.

"Well you certainly picked a weird spot for your honeymoon with her. How was the cruise?" A redheaded girl sat by a crackling fire.

"Kallen!" Lelouch bolted upright.

"Hey."

"I have to find her...I have to save her! C.C.!"

"Lelouch...she's not here."

"No! Don't...say that! I have to...find her..."

He scrambled to his feet and ran out of the cave in the manner of a drunken zombie. Well he certainly *felt like a zombie.

"C.C...! Where are you?!"

He continued to stumble over his own feet. He had difficulty running and kept tripping on the flat ground beneath him. He was breathing in and own so fast from anxiety, Kallen feared he might hyperventilate.

"Lelouch...you need to calm down." Kallen rose to her feet as well. "She's not here and-"

"Stop saying that, goddamnit! I know she can...hear me..."

"Lelouch! I need you to stay calm! She's gone!"

"She's not GONE!" Lelouch bellowed. He winced as he felt a pain in his chest after yelling. He leaned against a nearby tree for support.

"She's not...she's not...not...gone..." He slowly slid down as his breaths shortened. He felt lightheaded as he began hyperventilating. Kallen knelt in front of Lelouch, who was now completely slumped against a tree.

"For the love of God! You really need to do some cardio workouts. Look at me!"

Lelouch's neck went limp and his chin touched his chest. Kallen grabbed both sides of his face and began shaking him awake.

"We. Are going to find her. Okay?"

Lelouch slowly nodded. His eyes still rolled around randomly in a daze. His head was still spinning from an overload in oxygen intake.

He couldn't believe it...C.C. was gone. All the times he teased her, all the times she teased him, all the things she did to drive him to the brink of insanity, would be no more. He could only imagine what he would give for her to even just make him sleep on the floor again, or order pizza from his credit card without asking, or stealing his clothes without permission. He would give anything just to see her one more time.

"Alright..." He slowly got to his feet.

"Good. I have to get you out of here first."

"Where are we?" He looked around but did not recognize his surroundings.

"We're actually still on the island. Just a different part, that's all. I had to land my Knightmare here in the jungle to hide after I escaped. What a surprise when I saw a plane fall out of the sky. I finally found your body but I had to drag you somewhere they wouldn't find you."

"Did you see the soldiers? What direction did they take her?"

"I don't know. We need to get you back to Black Knights' headquarters first. Then we can talk about how to rescue her."

Lelouch stared blankly at the moon as it climbed its way above the horizon. It was the first full moon of the year. Its reflection shone distorted but beautifully in the ocean.

"Lelouch?" Kallen looked at him as if waiting for a response.

"Mn?"

"Let's go."

"Oh...right."

Lelouch didn't even hear her after that. He could vaguely remember her rambling about the current whereabouts of the Black Knights members, but all he could think of was finding C.C. The hatch on the jet hissed shut and they shot off into the night.

...

Kallen woke to a loud thump on her window.

"What the-!" She started as a bird fluttered away.

"Stupid birds flying into the ship again..."

Kallen threw the covers off and got out of bed. It was morning on the Ikagura II, the newest flagship of the Black Knights. In light of recent events, its cloaking mechanism was rarely deactivated, after the Dark Phoenixes had made it their mission to execute every last member of the former-terrorist organization. The only problem with this stealth technology was that birds and other animals, even people, tended to accidentally run into the ship when it was parked on the ground. In this case, birds.

Another loud thump sounded. She looked out her bedroom window, but saw no people or birds. Then she heard it again. This time it was followed by the sound of breaking glass.

"What the hell..."

She dashed out of her room and looked down the hall to the left and right. No one was out of bed yet. She stepped back in her room to look at the clock which hung on her wall.

_7:42_

"Almost 8 already...I should probably get Lelouch to wake up."

She walked down the hall to Lelouch's old quarters. She pressed the door chime which chirped in response. No response from the inside.

"Probably sleeping."

Suddenly another loud thump sounded, this time from within the room.

"Lelouch? What's going on in there?"

Kallen punched in her override code into the keypad mounted on the doorway and the doors slid open. She gasped.

Lelouch sat slumped over at his chair, face buried in the crook of his arm that rested on his desk. Just out of reach of his hand was a pistol. In his hand resided a glass cup with a large chip on the rim.

On a wall opposite the desk, drops of some brown liquid dripped down pointing to a shattered heap of glass on the floor below. Next to the heap of crystal shards was a glass bottle lying sideways on the floor. It slowly dripped out of its open mouth, the stopper absent, making a small but growing puddle. The room reeked of alchohol.

Kallen ran to his desk where she grabbed his shoulders and slammed them into the back of the chair, jerking his head upright. His head lolled back and forth. His Geass shone bright red in his eyes, but she could still see the dull cloudiness behind their glowing exterior.

"Lelouch! Please tell me you haven't been drinking."

"How fast do you think my liver heals?"

"What?"

"It must heal pretty fast, since I can't even drink myself to death. This is my 11th bottle...or 12th...I lost count. Hey, over there in the fridge...there's a few more I think...can you get me-"

"Snap out of it!"

Lelouch paused and looked at the glass with bulging eyes, turning it over in his hand slowly. He set it down with a resounding thump.

"You know...I can't remember the last time I told her I loved her..."

"Stop it, Lelouch..."

"It's all my fault, you know."

"Quit talking like that! No, it's not and you know it."

"Do I know? I'm not so sure now..."

"How long are you going to sit around moping and trying to kill yourself?"

"I dunno...depends how many times I kill myself. In my current state, eh...I'd say three times ought to do it. I didn't want to do it this way since the noise would wake everyone up, but seeing as you're awake already..." Lelouch reached for the pistol that sat on the desk.

"Oh no, you don't!" Kallen swooped in and snatched the pistol before Lelouch's clammy hands could get a hold of it. Lelouch looked at Kallen straight in the eye.

"Kallen...I order you to shoot me with that pistol."

Kallen grimaced. "For once, I'm glad you already used your Geass on me before. That's not going to work for you. Now maybe if you got off your ass, we can actually try finding her. You ever think of that, huh? Maybe we could actually try doing something to get her and stop all of this. Maybe, just maybe, you could start acting like the hero everyone believed you to be! What is eveyone going to think when you walk onto the bridge drunk to death? Do you think that's who we need for a leader?"

Lelouch hung his head, disappointed once again at his failure. Maybe this was how C.C. felt when she first met him. Her only wish was to finally die, and here sat Lelouch, wishing to die.

"Clean up. We've got work to do."

...


End file.
